


Mosley Lane

by Arithese



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Basement, Freedom, Gen, Kidnapping, OC Character Death, Police, Psychological Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-07-20 17:03:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16141637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arithese/pseuds/Arithese
Summary: "It was the moment the door had opened, and my brothers ran into the room I noticed how much responsibility had rested upon my shoulders, a burden that was suddenly lifted from my shoulders after all this time. I knew it was finally over, and they couldn't hurt us anymore".





	1. Chapter 1

I never thought I'd be the one taking the lead, or the one to carry all the responsibility, but eventually I did. Then again, I had never been the oldest. I had three older brothers, not like I hated being the youngest brother. I just never liked having responsibility, it just wasn't how I was. I was laid-back, not really serious at times.

I had never really taken the responsibility, always having three older brothers to rely on. And frankly I always thought it would be hard to be the one taking the lead. Turned out, it really wasn't. The moment I became aware of the situation I had immediately taken it upon me to after them. I knew that it was my job as the oldest to look after them.

But it wasn't the moment the door had opened, and my brothers ran into the room I noticed how much responsibility had rested upon my shoulder, a burden that was suddenly lifted from my shoulders. I knew it was finally over. And now I understood Leo's drive to protect all of us, even after he got injured or anything along those lines, because he was responsible.

Just as I was responsible for them.

I have no idea how long it'd been since that day, but I've heard the fireworks some days ago, so I roughly knew how much time had passed, roughly. But it hadn't mattered, two weeks, 2 months, 2 hours, it always felt like an eternity. Especially when you had to look after people you grew to care about. People that had been taken away from you countless of times.

I knew I would never forget the look on my brothers' faces, the horrified looks when they saw the state I was in, when they saw my face, so I did the only thing I could think of.

"Took you long enough dudes, I've been waiting" Joke. I could hear Raph snorting, immediately pulling me into a crushing hug. I blinked past the tears that were now threatening to slip past my eyes. Despite my blurred vision I could see paramedics standing in the door opening. I wasn't deadly injured, none us were, so they left us alone for now.

"Let's get out of here bonehead, you reek"

This time I was the one to snort at Raph's comment. The obvious concern and relief was a dead giveaway that he didn't really mean what he just said, but it wouldn't have mattered, I knew my older brother, I knew how much he cared. I reluctantly released him, punching his shoulder lightly and giving him a smile. Doubt flashed in Raph's eyes, and his green orbs scanned me briefly.

I knew what he wanted to know though, how I could still be so calm after everything that had happened. And to be honest, I didn't really know myself, probably the euphoria of having my brothers with me. I didn't feel panic at the moment.

"Don't touch her!" Until now. My hand was on top of my mouth not even seconds after the sentence left my mouth, even muffling the last letter slightly, but I was too late. Leo's hand immediately froze mid-way, flashing his eyes towards me. My heart was loudly beating in my chest but I pushed past it, and past my older brother.

Uncertain shuffling was behind me, and I knew that Leo was slowly backing away but I ignored it.

"Hey.. wake up" I whispered, shaking Allison's shoulder lightly, the bed she was on creaking slightly at the movement. How she hadn't woken up from all the commotion is a mystery I most likely won't be able to solve. She blinked a couple of times, rubbing her eyes with her tiny hands.

"Daddy?" She questioned and I smiled slightly.

"Yea, I'm here" I could feel eyes burn into my bruised back but I ignored them. I gently brushed Allison's fair hair out of her face, placing my hands under her armpits and easily hosting her up. She whimpered slightly and buried her head in my shoulder. Her hair tickled slightly against my shoulder but for now I needed it, I reminded me of the responsibility I had taken upon me.

And that I hadn't failed her.

I turned around, looking into my older brother's eyes while completely ignoring the stares I was getting from Don and Raph, Leo was also looking at me with that look. But unlike Don and Raph, he was trying to cover it up, the keyword being trying. Because I could see right through him. They were all struggling to hold back their tears.

"Did Rachel sent you?" I ask straightforward, walking towards the door, just wanting to get out of this place. Raph, although still confused about what is happening, puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. I smile at him, knowing it's finally over.

"She did, she's outside waiting for you two. She's physically okay though, bruises and some scratches and tired, but she insisted on going with us" That's why I preferred Raph during these times, as much as I appreciated Leo and Don wanting to protect me, I hated when they danced around the subject. Right now I just wanted to know how Rachel was doing, and I was glad Raph was honest with me.

It surprised me actually how calm my bros seemed, after all this time. I could see they wanted to cry, I knew they wanted to attack me with hugs, hugs I had missed so much during my 'captivity'. But Rachel had probably told them about everything, and they had most likely seen what they shouldn't do with someone who has been through so much.

"And .. uhm .. you know." I said, feeling panic bubble up inside of me again.

"The police caught them just before the border, don't worry, they won't be able to hurt you anymore" I nodded again, blinking as bright sunlight hit my eyes, sunlight that I hadn't seen for a while. I shook my head slightly, looking down at the 8 years old child in my arms.

I was never afraid they'd hurt me, I was afraid they would hurt her, them.

"I want my mommy" She whispered, too afraid to raise her voice. Afraid that they might hear her. I gritted my teeth, wiping away the tears in my eyes as I walked over to her, awkwardly picking her up. She immediately nestled against me, which made me smile despite the situation.

"I know you do, but I can't get her right now" I whispered to her, making myself comfortable. Not like I was able to get comfortable. I fearfully glanced over to the other bed, where Rachel was seated. Her hands were bailed into fists and she was shaking, although she was trying to cover it up, the fear was radiating off of her in big waves.

She swallowed harshly, not moving a single muscle apart from the light tremble. I knew it was coming, but still I practically jumped out of my skin when the door opened again, revealing a woman with blond hair, the one that knocked me out a few hours ago, kidnapped me. I swallowed harshly, reminding myself that she wouldn't hurt us if we behaved.

If we pretended.

She walked over to Rachel, sitting behind her. Rachel stiffened when the bed moved under the added weight but she never moved, never dared to make a single sound. She had told her not to move, she had threatened her, she had hit her, so she didn't move. She obeyed.

"What did you do to your hair Maddy?" The woman said, shaking her head as she started to brush it gently. Rachel had winced a couple of times when the woman put a brush through her hair but never said anything. Didn't say anything about how it hurt, or that Maddy wasn't her name. She didn't say anything, she behaved like Maddy would.

"Now you're beautiful again, my daughter" The woman said after a while, smiling as her fingers brushed through Rachel's brown hair. I had to shut my mouth to stop myself from calling out, telling this crazy woman that she wasn't her daughter, and that Allison wasn't her daughter, and that I wasn't her son. That her children were dead.

TMNT

They tried to take Allison from me, they tried to coax Rachel into going with them, but none of them left my side, ever. Not after everything we've been through with the three of us. Not after all the shit they have put us through. Like hell they were going to separate me from them. We were currently in the hospital, and doctors were constantly running in an outside the room, and it annoyed me to no end.

I just wanted to be left alone right now.

But I couldn't really blame them at the same time. I had refused to look at my face but I knew, and I had heard, how it looked. My whole left side of my face was filled with bruises and my eye was coloured red. My ring finger was currently taped to my middle finger, apparently I had broken it when they beat the shit out of me. I was glad they did, it was worth it.

It wasn't until they had completely assessed our wounds that they finally left us alone.

"What is gonna happen now?" Rachel whispered, her bright blue eyes flashing over to me. She was huddled tightly inside a blanket, a blanket I recognised from home. One of my bros must've brought it with him. Her arms were bandaged but the scratches weren't that bad luckily. I sighed, rubbing my head slightly with my free hand.

"I don't know.." I said doubtfully. "But we're going to get through this together, I promise" I added when Rachel's face fell. And it were moments like these that I remembered that this girl was only 12 years old, and had been put through so much already. Of course it hadn't been easy for me either, but I was 4 years older, I was a trained ninja, but unfortunately they knew that as well.

There was a soft knock on the door, causing both of us to look up, and I wasn't embarrassed to admit the fear I felt for a split-second at the sudden noise, the same noise the woman would make when she entered the room. However I immediately relaxed when I saw my dad standing in the door opening.

"Hey dad" I said, tearing up slightly. Maybe that was the biggest difference between me and Leo. During the time I was gone, I found out what Leo had to go through on a daily basis, being our big brother and all. But unlike him, I wasn't afraid to show when I was down, or to show my fears. It was something I learned when I was with those people, we helped each other. Rachel had often comforted me back there, heck even Allison had.

Dad didn't say anything, and silently walked up to me. He was cautious, I could recognise his movements, and I hated it. Of course he knew what had happened, maybe he was afraid to be a dad to me, since my previous 'dad' hadn't been too kind to me. But I didn't feel the same way, that man had never been dad to me, no matter how many times he had called me his son, no matter how much I had pretended to be Peter.

Rachel seemed to notice my dad approaching and she carefully reached out for Allison, taking her from me. I shot her a grateful smile before I wrapped my arms around my father, burying my face in his shoulder. And I cried. Before the kidnapping, the beatings, and the psychological torture, I would've been embarrassed to cry, right now I truly didn't care.

Not at this moment, not ever.

I still don't really know how we got our hands on the knife, but at that time it didn't matter anymore, because we had a knife. We could've stabbed them of course, after all the shit they've put Allison and Rachel through I had no problem with killing them if that meant setting them free. The only problem was the fact that they knew what we could do.

Ever since my failed escape attempt they were cautious, never entering the room with the two of them. Or even the fence that was placed in between the two doors. One door leading to our room, and the other one leading to the staircase. They always closed it when one of them came to us. And one always stayed behind.

So we came up with a plan to sneak one of us through the fence.

It had happened one time before, but that a complete accident. Two weeks after I had been taken, I had gotten really sick, and they had taken me upstairs to look after me. It disgusted me to think back actually, being fed, being bathed after I had vomited, and all the cuddling. But when we got the knife I saw it as a blessing.

Because they had left me alone.

I knew they'd leave her alone when she got 'sick'. Watching how Rachel had put a finger inside her own mouth certainly hadn't been pleasant, but I knew it was necessary, it had to look convincing after all. The woman had, as predicted, immediately taken Rachel upstairs after she came downstairs.

"Daddy, will it work?" Allison whispered against me. I knew she was worried about Rachel, just like me. We never liked it when we were separated. We were like family right now, Rachel and Allison were my little sisters, and I was their big brother. But it had to be done right now, I'd rather be separated if it meant getting us out.

So we waited.

A smile tugged on my lips when I heard screaming upstairs after what seemed like hours. Frantic voices, calling out for their daughter, calling for Madilyn, Maddy. It was that moment that I knew it had worked. And I knew they were going to blame Peter. It was a part of the plan I hadn't told Rachel, because she would've never agreed to it if she knew. And that's why I never told her.

It was also the reason I had agreed to her getting 'sick'. Not because she could pick locks with just a knife, because I could do so to, but because I knew what they were going to do once they noticed one of their children were gone.

"Hey, I want you to sit on the bed, and cover your ears for now okay? Don't look until I tell you to" I say, putting Allison down. She nodded in confusion, not knowing why I was asking her to do such a thing but she wouldn't question me, ever. With stiff muscles I walked over to the middle of the room, giving one assuring nod to Allison before turning to the door.

My little sister was huddled in the corner, folding the blanket around her. Her hands were on top of her ears but as soon as I had turned towards her, she had closed her eyes. Through the door I could see the fence, and the door leading to the staircase, but most importantly Mr. Lewis coming right through the door, and unlocking the fence.

"Where is she?! What did you say to your sister?!" Mr. Lewis bellowed, unlocking the last door. A strong hand reached for my collar, pulling me closer.

"I haven't told her anything, dad" I told him calmly, the last word mockingly. Mr. Lewis narrowed his eyes, and so did I.

"TELL ME THE TRUTH PETER! WHERE IS YOUR SISTER?!" He roared, and then the first hit came. His fist harshly hit the left side of my face and my head snapped to the right. Tears of pain jumped in my eyes but I bit them back, looking back.

"She's not my sister you sicko. She isn't even your daughter. Maddy is dead" I responded, my voice still oddly calm. The second hit followed soon after my comment, and I fell to the ground. I knew it was pointless to fight back, they wouldn't care. The woman wouldn't care, they only cared about their children.

So even if I had her husband at gunpoint, she wouldn't open the fence. Even if I put a bullet through his head, she would never open the fence. She would wait for days, until we were too thirsty, and too hungry to fight back. So I let him, taking the beating as some twisted victory. Because every punch reminded me that Rachel got out.

"It isn't bad, besides, it was worth it" I tried to assure Rachel, wincing as her fingers traced along the bruises that decorated my face. Rachel suddenly recoiled from the touch, bringing her hands back to her lap.

"You got hurt" She whispered, mindlessly playing with the white blanket that was covering her body. She refused to look at me, staring at her own hands instead.

"I did" I said in a soft tone. "But I don't regret it, you got out, you managed to get to the police station. That's why we are here right now. Free" Finally she dared to look up again, our eyes meeting. Two pair of bright blue eyes. The same eye colour Maddy and Peter had.

"I'm sorry it took me so long Mikey, I really tried.. but we were so far from everyone… I was scared so I hid from every car that approached me. It wasn't until I recognised New York that I dared to approach someone" I nodded at her story, feeling regret burning in my stomach. I had sent a 12 year old to walk all the way towards New York, she had walked for 2 whole days before she arrived.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Rae, you got us out" I said, smiling. She luckily smiled back, only to be interrupted by a loud yawn. "Get some sleep, it's been a long day" I tell her, before standing up and walking up to the door. Of course she'd be tired after everything. She hadn't slept in a long time. She arrived at the station at 4 in the morning, not having slept since the previous night.

And it took them 2 hours to calm her down, and for her too give them enough information to work with. She didn't know where they kept us, so she had to describe the place. The police eventually managed to pinpoint the exact location after an hour, not based on the description of the house, but because they could match the names, Peter Lewis, Madilyn Lewis and Jessy Lewis.

But Rachel was strong, and she got us out. I was so relieved she made it. But in no way did it make up for all the deaths that the family had already caused, and all the loss.

Not physical loss, but they took away our time. Allison was the lucky one here. She had been here for only two months. It seemed like such a short time. Rachel had been taken when she was 11. And here I stood, walking along the hallway to the room where my family was. They had changed, but I had instantly recognized them.

Even if I had been 12 the last time I had seen them.

I cried, and so did my brothers. Wet tears were staining my shirt, wet tears were staining their shirts. And none of us cared. We cried for the loss of time, 4 whole years. I finally broke down right then and there. Allison had been reunited with her mother, Rachel was finally asleep, the responsibility wasn't there anymore.

So I finally broke down.

It never occurred to me to cry, and even when Leo, Don and Raph had wrapped their arms around me did I think of crying. It was only after I felt the first tears that I suddenly broke. Suddenly something broke, and I wasn't even aware that it could break until it did. I didn't know that I had built all those tears, all those years.

I cried.

I cried for Rachel, who hadn't been there to say goodbye to her grandma, her only family. I cried for Allison, who had been taken for 2 months, I cried for Maddy, Peter and Jessy, who had died when they were kidnapped 7 years ago. I cried for the previous 'Peter's', Boys I never got to know, who were killed before Mr. and Mrs. Lewis needed a new one.

I cried for the 2 Jessy's I will never see again, I cried for the 3 Maddy's who didn't live long enough to get the knife. I cried for the remaining family who finally knew who killed their kid. I cried for myself. For my brothers who had to live without their little brother for 4 years, who didn't know if I was still alive, I cried for my father, who had sworn that he would protect the four of us when mom died when we were toddlers. I cried for my family.

I cried tears of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay after watching and old episode of Criminal minds I just had to write this. It wasn't even the episode where this was based on, but it suddenly reminded me of the right episode, and I just wanted to write it so badly.
> 
> True story though, after I had written it I wanted to look for the episode again to see if I could add something, and then I actually found out that the little girl was really called Allison… no joke. And it's been .. I don't know.. 5 years since I've seen that episode? The episode is called Mosley Lane, for anyone who is interested.
> 
> And please tell me what you think! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many have asked for me to continue this story, and it was 100% planned as an one-shot, but I just had so much inspiration after so many of you asked for more. What happened all those years, what will happen after etc. So after the two-year anniversary of this story, I just decided to write it. So this chapter is updated waaaaayyy after the one-shot, so if you still remember it, you're awesome! (Oneshot posted on Nov 29th, 2015, this chapter was published on April 2nd, 2018. Well over 2 years later ^^)

21st May, 2014. 15:36

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Raph whispers softly, looking at his immediate younger brother before looking in front of him again. He saw Don shake his head but he only looked in front. Mikey took a shuddering breath, ghosting his fingers along the walls that were carved in, running his nails along the edges and cringing slightly.

"They took our paper away, so we carved in the walls instead" Mikey whispers, not looking at his oldest brother who was next to him.

"Is this when.. the others didn't make it?" Leo asks softly, trying to get Mikey to look at him, but so far he didn't have much luck, Mikey refused to meet his eyes.

"So we wouldn't forget" He whispers, a tear appearing in his eye. "I didn't want to be forgotten if I would… if I wouldn't survive, for you guys, so you would know I was here, so we carved it in the wall after another Maddy died, or after another Jessy died" He explains and Leo nods softly, reaching out carefully.

Mikey flinches at the gesture but Leo doesn't stop, wrapping his arms around Mikey, who leaned into the embrace once he realised it was Leo who tried to hug him. Mikey didn't bury his face, he pressed his cheek in Leo's chest, looking at the wall with somber eyes, tears silently flowing down his cheeks.

Leo was sickened by the amount of dates on the wall, otherwise so carefully hidden by one of the beds, but Mikey could only stare at the 6 dates, 6 dates after the 21st of November 2009, the day he got kidnapped. He hadn't known the other Peter's, had only heard stories about them.

But he had known 3 Maddy's and 2 Jessy's, and he had seen one Jessy die, just a day after his kidnapping.

And he would never see them again.

TMNT

14th May, 2014. 01:34

"Leo?" A small voice suddenly woke me up. I blink warily, sitting up in bed and looking at the door, now open and showing a faint shadow of my littlest brother.

"What's wrong?" I ask with a frown, rubbing my eyes to get a clearer look at him. He wore his pyjama pants and shirt, showing off all the bruises that were still in the process of healing, his entire face filled with dark blue and purple bruises, his eye still red from the beatings Mr and Mrs Lewis gave him a few days ago.

"I-I.. Can I sleep with you?" He asks and immediately my face softens. "I mean.. I haven't… haven't slept alone in four years.. we were always with three, or two… or I couldn't ... I j-just can't seem to fall asleep. And I'm-"

"Mikey" I gently interrupt him, his eyes widen before I lift my covers. "Get in" I say, gesturing him to come forwards. He hesitates for a moment, arms still wrapped tightly around his body as a way to protect himself before he carefully walks over to one side of the bed, crawling into the huge bed that was almost meant for 2 people.

I smile, silently thanking dad for allowing us to get bigger beds once we got a bit older.

But still after Mikey disappeared. My little brother lays down on his side, facing me with wide and curious eyes.

"You changed" He whispers after a moment of silence and I frown slightly before I realise what he was talking about. The fact that I did, indeed, change in the last 4 years. The fact that I hit puberty just after he was taken from us, the fact that I had grown significantly and was now towering over him.

The fact that we continued training, and that both me and Raph got a whole lot of muscle mass whereas Mikey wasn't even given the chance to even try to do the same thing. Don had never been as interested in working out with heavy weights, just like Mikey he had always loved running more.

But in general, he had always been the odd one out with working out. Both Raph, Mikey and me loved working out, Mikey preferring running over strength, but Don had generally always preferred experimenting and researching over working out. Didn't mean he didn't love it at all.

And right now, even Don had more muscle mass than Mikey had. And that was saying something.

"You did too" I whisper and he looks down, swallowing. "You don't have to say anything, but do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't want to remember it" He answers honestly, and I nod softly. I understood that he didn't, and for now I didn't want to acknowledge the fact that it would be better for him to do talk about his experience in that place. He looks at me again, tears suddenly in his eyes, threatening to fall.

"Oh baby bro" I reach out, bringing him closer to my chest. He stiffens for a moment before slowly relaxing, burying his face in my chest. I smile gently, closing my eyes in content. 4 years, 4 years and 7 months, it had been since I last held him, since I last comforted him in our own house.

Mikey doesn't say anything in the embrace, but after minutes I could feel his breathing evening out, and I knew he had fallen asleep.

TMNT

21st May, 2014. 18:45

"There were so many names dad, he knew 7 of them" Don whispers, tightening his hands around the cup of tea, taking a deep breath.

"Does the police know about the wall?" Dad asks and I look to my immediate younger brother with sorrow in my eyes.

"They do know now Mikey showed them" I mutter, crossing my arms over each other. "Those parents were sick dad, 5 kids died when Mikey looked after them" I snap, leaving out the last part of the sentence, it broke him. It broke my littlest brother, seeing everyone he cared about die before his own eyes.

Failing the ones he swore to protect, he failed all these little girls.

We still didn't know why they died, how they died and who was responsible for their deaths. But one thing was clear, Mikey was attached to all of them, just as those younger girls were attached to him because they were all forced into a horrible experience where they only had each other to comfort each other.

And then slowly, one of them died, and the other, and the replacements died as well. Over and over again.

"We are already looking for the right person for him to talk about it" Dad tries to assure me but I shake my head, sliding down the wall I was leaning against and staring out of the window that was next to me with tears in my eyes.

"So far he has refuses to talk about it" I mutter angrily and I stiffen when I feel a figure sit down next to me. Much to my surprise, it's Don.

"It's normal" He states, swallowing thickly. "Many victims need time to… get used to being free. He will talk when he's ready" I scowl at him. He knew too much about this. Ever since Mikey got kidnapped when we just turned 12, Don had thrown himself into becoming a CSI, to solve cases like this.

Not just to find Mikey, but also to prevent it from happening to other families. He wanted to avoid the lost we felt.

"He is already warming up to us my son, give him time" Dad spoke, kneeling in front of me and putting a hand on my knee. I look up, cracking a small smile at his smile.

"I hope you're right" I whisper, not trusting my voice to go any louder right now. Don snorts next to me, wrapping an arm around me. I don't protest, something I would've done before we found Mikey.

May 12th, 2014. 9:03

"Hello?" Dad answers the phone. I look up from my bowl of cereal, munching on it while trying to listen to the conversation. Dad frowns, nodding silently before his eyes go wide. "Is she certain?" He asks, whirling around to look at me with wide eyes. "Get your brothers, right now" He commands, immediately turning around again.

I don't hesitate, don't question his commands because it was obvious that whatever he had heard, was disturbing and needed immediate attention. I drop my spoon in my bowl, getting off my chair before sprinting upstairs.

"Don Raph!" I holler, opening Don's door as that was closest to the stairs.

"Leo, what the hell?!" Don exclaims, sitting up in his bed, sill in his pyjamas. "What is going on?"

"I-I don't know, dad is on the phone and he looked really disturbed, he said to come get you guys" I quickly explain and his expression softens a bit. "Get dressed" I say, gesturing to his current outfit before turning back and walking towards Raph's room, but when I opened the door, Raph was already standing up.

"What the fuck Leo" Raph snapped, looking annoyed.

"Don't shoot the messenger Raph" I shot back. "Dad is on the phone, he said to come get you guys, I think it's something bad" I inform him, and just like Don, his expression softens and he nods. He walks over to his closet, quickly putting on pants and a clean shirt before walking up to me.

We silently exit his room, just as Don exited his own room as well. We all practically sprint down the stairs, only to see dad already wearing his jacket and holding his keys.

"Dad?" Don asks, being the first one to go down the stairs, and he walks up to our father.

"We gotta go now" Dad spoke, opening the front door. I frown, looking at Raph but he looks just as confused as I was. But we quickly follow dad out of the door, out of the building we were living in and into the garage to get the car. Which was one of the many signs that something was terribly off.

Dad rarely took the car, he preferred to walk, and take the bus if the distance was too much to cover on foot, or if he was in a hurry. Only in desperate times did he take the car. Ever since Don, Raph and me got our license, the car had been used more and more, but it was still rare to drive.

"Dad" I state softly, putting a hand on his shaking one. He looks up with haunted eyes. "I'll drive" I speak up, slowly taking the keys from him and he nods, hurrying to the other side of the car as I climb behind the wheel. Both Raph and Don climb in the back of the car, and I start the car before they can even get their seatbelts on.

"Where to?" I ask and dad is silent for a bit.

"The police station" He answers and I frown.

"Why the police station?" I ask, my brain working overtime to figure out what could've possibly happened. We didn't have a lot of living relatives left, only an aunt from our mother's side of the family, and a son. But it didn't make sense, why would they send us to the police station, if something happened to them?

An accident or something like that. But they didn't even live near New York, it wouldn't make sense to send us to a police station in New York if something were to happen to them.

"They think they found Michelangelo"

The car comes to a screeching stop, wheels slipping on the pavement and a car behind us jerking the wheel to the left to avoid hitting our car.

"What?!" Raph snaps before I could voice my own thoughts, breathing heavily and trying to calm myself down.

"Please continue driving Leonardo, safely" Dad whispers, looking in the mirror to look at Raph and Don. I nod numbly, slapping my cheeks twice before driving again.

"Are they sure?" Don whispers and dad shakes his head.

"They are not sure, but a girl has walked into the station 30 minutes ago, she claims to have been captured with two others, one of them being Michelangelo"

"She escaped?" I ask and this time dad nods.

"She claims she has escaped, and walked over to New York"

"Could it really be him?" I could hear Don ask in a low voice, almost a whisper, clearly directed at Raph. The latter doesn't answer immediately, I look back at him for a split second. His eyes were wide with fear and yet also hope, and for a second our eyes lock before I turn them on the road again.

"Would he even be the same?" Don voices, dares to speak what we were probably all thinking. How would these last four years have affected him? Who kidnapped him, and how did they treat him? He was old enough, so they couldn't have raised him as their own or something like that.

So the most obvious answer was that they kept him locked up. And we knew that there was at least one other girl.

None of us spoke another word, none of us able to answer Don's question, and none of us having any desire to really speak at all. It took us 10 minutes to drive to the police station, and I didn't really bother parking nicely or checking if we were allowed to park in that particular place, I just took the first place I saw.

TMNT

May 12th, 2014. 9:36

"Rachel? There are some people who would like to meet you" The nurse who led us to one of the rooms announced, opening the door just enough for her to peek inside the room. No answer came from the other door, but the nurse slowly opened the door all the way, motioning us to enter.

"Who are you?" The girl, Rachel asks, a sceptic look on her face.

"The police said you stated you weren't alone during your capture" Dad spoke, and I look at her with the same sceptic look on my face. For all we know, she could be lying, or she was confused because of her capture. But the moment dad spoke that particular sentence, her eyes widened.

"Oh god, you're Mikey's family" She exclaims, a little tension draining from her body.

"You recognise us?" I ask timidly and she nods almost excitedly.

"Mikey talks about you guys, we all talk about our families, to remember them." Rachel confirms.

"H-He's alive?" Don stammers at the sentence but Rachel's face falls.

"I'm not sure to be honest. He was.. when I escaped, they must know he helped me" Rachel spoke, a fearful look on her face as she catches Don's gaze. "They've killed others for less"

"Others?" I ask softly, taking a hesitant step forwards but Rachel doesn't look scared, so I slowly walk over to her, taking a chair and sitting in front of her. Rachel gazes at me, still not fully comfortable but she doesn't seem scared because of my presence. Was it because she knew I was Mikey's brother?

Rachels swallows painfully, nodding. "The couple that took us.. lost their three children some time ago, they started kidnapping others to.. substitute them I guess" Rachel said, anger lingering in her voice. "2 months ago they killed Robyn, Allison took her place"

"Back up" Raph interrupts, also walking over to Rachel but I quickly put out a hand, stopping him from getting too close. Rachel, however, doesn't seem too scared. "Who is Robyn, and who is Allison?"

"Robyn and Allison were both Jessy, the youngest daughter of the parents who took us. The children were Peter, Maddy and Jessy. When they killed Robyn, they took Allison, she's been with us for 2 months." Rachel explains, rubbing her arms and shuddered slightly.

"You saw her get killed?" I ask softly, and Rachel nods.

"Robyn.. we think she had a mental illness, she couldn't handle the situation at all. Mikey thinks that the stress caused her hair to fall out, after a year the woman noticed it and.. killed her for not being pretty enough to be Jessy" Rachel explains and I can feel tears fill my eyes and I carefully reach out, taking her hand.

"How many did Mikey see?" I ask, not even sure if Rachel knew the answer to that question. She looks up, sorrow and guilt in her eyes.

"Six" She answers. "3 Maddy's and 3 Jessy's" I look down, turning my head away from her as I feel tears slide down my cheeks. He saw 6 people die, right in front of him. Or at least, I supposed it was right in front of him. Either way, one was already enough to traumatise him for life.

Rachel squeezes my hand softly. "Mikey is strong.. he helped me survive that place.. both physically and emotionally" She tells me and I laugh slightly, wiping away my tears. I was about to say something else but the door was suddenly opened, revealing an officer that greeted us when we just arrived.

"They figured out who took her, they are going to the location right now" He said and I could feel my heart jump. They knew where Mikey was… we were going to see our baby brother again.

"I want to come" Rachel states, standing up despite the obvious injuries she had.

"Rachel.. is that a good idea?" The officer spoke gently but I stand up as well.

"We're all coming with you" I said, and Rachel flashes me a grateful smile. The officer sighs, shaking his head.

"Then you better have a car with you, we don't have enough places for 5 more people" He mutters before turning around and leaving. I smile at Rachel, wrapping an arm around her and leading her to the front of the station where our car was parked, making sure dad, Raph and Don were all behind me and following.

We were going to get Mikey out of there.


	3. Chapter 3

May 12th, 2014. 10:59

"This is the house?" I ask softly, still sitting next to Rachel in the car. She nods, swallowing thickly. We carefully step outside, a few policemen surrounding us, protecting us as another group walks over to the house, circling it with guns pointed at either side, scouting the house before kicking in one of the doors.

The wait was agonising, and I unconsciously take a step forwards.

"The house is empty" One officer announces, looking in my direction. I look at Rachel, before looking at my brothers. Raph was the first one to directly disobey orders, running after the officers that were now walking into the house.

"Raph!" I scream, whirling around to face Rachel. "Stay here" I order, running after Raph into the house. Not merely because I was chasing Raph, but because I had the same idea, go into the house to see Mikey. See if he was okay, alive, breathing. And to hug him the moment we'd see him.

But that was all thrown through the window the moment I saw Raph standing still.

I ran to him, stopping next to him, and I immediately understood what had made him so hesitant. What had made him not continue his pursue. It was a room in the basement. Once you came down the staircase there were two doors, fences were more like it, but now both unlocked and open.

There was a long corridor, and I couldn't see all the doors that were in the hall. But it didn't matter, I had only paid attention to the one door that was open, the one door Raph had burst through. In the midst of the room was Mikey, even after 4 years, I could recognise him in an instant.

"Took you long enough dudes, I've been waiting" He croaks after what feels like an eternity of awkward silence. I wince slightly, his whole face was swollen, black and blue from the bruising. And he seemed so thin, unhealthy. And his bright blue eyes, once filled with life, were haunted.

Raph was the first one to react, pulling Mikey into a crushing hug, and snorting. My gaze falls on the other figure in the room, a still sleeping girl, fair hair and back turned to the rest of us. I glance at Raph and Mikey for a second, sensing Don just behind me before walking over to the girl cautiously.

"Let's get out of here bonehead, you reek" I heard Raph say behind me and a soft laughing sound coming from Mikey. I reach out softly, almost touching her shoulder.

"Don't touch her!" Mikey suddenly screamed and I immediately jerk my head around, bringing my arm back as Mikey brushes past me.

I guess that was the first moment I truly realised how close Mikey was with both Rachel and Allison. How close he had been to everyone. Allison had only been kidnapped for 2 months, but Mikey was already too protective of her, willing to scream at me to leave her alone, not trusting me to help her.

May 21th, 2014. 20:58

I sigh, brushing my finger over the screen and looking at the picture with a heavy heart. Every name, every girl Mikey had known in these past 4 years, written into the wall. So carefully written like one wrong move would make the wall crumble. I could recognise Mikey's handwriting, on all 6 of them.

It made sense, Mikey was Peter over there, the oldest son. And therefore also the one who had lived the longest. He was taken when he was too young, Peter had been 14 when he died, Mikey was only 12 when he was taken. They kept him because he looked so similar to the real Peter, because he was so obedient and so caring for his little sisters.

"Was I declared dead?" Mikey suddenly asks and I look down at my little brother, laying on my lap with a blanket wrapped around him. He couldn't see what I was looking at on my mobile, but something told me he already knew.

"You weren't" I say, shaking my head. "Mostly that's only after 7 years"

"But they did stop looking" Mikey whispers, but no blame was present in the statement. I nod slightly again, feeling guilty despite him obviously not blaming us, or the police. Or the fact that we literally couldn't do anything to change their minds.

"They did a few weeks, but they never removed you from the system, so if anything would come up again they would start looking" I try to comfort him and he smiled slightly.

"Like Rachel showing up at the police station?" He asks, looking at me with bright blue eyes. I snort, nodding with a smile on my face, but Mikey frowns suddenly. "I didn't write all the names y'know" He mumbles, and for a second I'm lost, confused what he was referring to.

"The 6 names?" I ask and Mikey nods.

"Eisley wrote Jane's name on the wall, just a day after I was kidnapped" He says and I can feel my breath hitch in my throat.

"Eisley?" I ask carefully and Mikey frowns slightly again, nodding.

"She was the first Maddy I met, the middle child."

"And Jane was your first Jessy?" I guess and he nods, still frowning slightly.

"I didn't know Jane though, she died before I got to know her"

21st November, 2009. 16:58

"No. No no no!" I cried out as the woman opened the fence before me, as the man continued to shove me down the stairs. My legs felt weak, numb and yet they trembled with each step. "Please let me go" I sobbed, feeling tears stream down my face but they didn't react, faces without any emotion.

I was pushed through the hallway before another door was opened to my right and I was thrown inside.

"Behave yourself Peter" The woman frowned before closing the door behind me.

"NO!" I scream, lunging for the door and banging my fists against it. Pain shot through them but I couldn't care less, didn't even feel it to be honest.

"They're not going to let you out" A small voice suddenly spoke and I whirled my head around, facing two other girls. My eyes widen, one was sitting on her knees, on the ground with her back turned to me but her head facing me. Another girl, younger than the other, was on the bed, looking sick.

There was a blanket draped on top of her, but still she was shivering.

"W-Who isn't? What i-is going on.." I hiccup, taking an involuntary step backwards. The girl sighs, looking so calm despite the situation. Was she one of them? Did she belong to the ones that took me?

"You need to calm down first" She told me, an urgent yet quiet voice. "What's your name?"

"M-Mikey" I whisper, and the girl nods slowly, standing up and walking over to another bed, pushing it off the wall.

"Come here" She waves and I hesitantly take a step forwards, before walking over to the wall. "I know this is a lot to take in for you, but just stay calm okay? I will explain everything" She tells me, gesturing me to sit down on the bed, on the side that was facing the wall. My knees barely fit between the bed and the wall.

"W-why are you h-here, who are you?" The girl looks down, sighing before she looks up to me.

"I'm Eisley, and that's Jane" She tells me, closing her eyes again. "But to them we are Madilyn and Jessy, they think we are their children"

"And me?" I almost squeak and Eisley smiles gently at me, even though she was roughly the same age as me.

"You're their eldest, Peter Lewis. Don't correct them if they address you with it, they don't like it when their kids rebel. Apparently theirs were saints before they got murdered" Eisley murmurs, looking at me. I nod but I don't dare to speak.

"Write down your name on this list, and put a P behind it." She instructs, pointing at the list that was already there.

"Why?" I ask.

"So you won't forget who you are, so people will know you've been here if they find this place" Eisley tells me calmly.

"And the other list" I whisper, pointing at the other list of names, almost identical to the first one, except Jane and Eisley weren't on that list. Eisley sighs, looking down but putting a hand on the names, her fingers ghosting over the last name 'Colton P'. P for Peter. I wasn't the first one?!

"Those are the ones before you, before me. Those who didn't make it."

"I don't get it" I whisper and Eisley nods, standing up and sitting next to me.

"Peter, Maddy and Jessy were 3 siblings who were kidnapped, they died, were murdered, 3 years ago. It drove the parents mad because they were sent the remains. Ever since they have been kidnapping others to resemble their kids"

"How do you know, did they tell you?" I ask but Eisley shakes her head.

"The first Peter, 3 years ago, was someone who knew the real Peter. They were best friends and the parents knew him, knew he was like Peter, so they took him. He told the first Maddy and Jessy they took, siblings who looked nothing like the real ones, but the parents were desperate" Eisley explained and I nod.

"How old.. are you?" I ask hesitantly, and Eisley sighs, taking my hand and directing me to the wall. I understand what she was trying to do, write my name. So I wouldn't be forgotten. But it didn't matter right? Dad was going to find me and take me home, my brothers would never stop looking for me.

But I didn't say, I just sat down and accepted the sharp rock Eisley gave me and started carving my whole name. Full name. Michelangelo "Mikey" Hamato. The others had done so as well, put their nicknames in there as well sometimes.

"I'm 13 by the way, Jane's 9" Eisley mutters and I look up at her, frowning.

"I'm only 12, why am I the oldest?" I ask but Eisley shakes her head.

"Peter was 14, Maddy was 12 years old, those ages aren't that far apart. I've been here since I was 11, but they don't always bring someone home who's the exact right age" Eisley explains, sighing. "Either way, we still age, and they don't always kill us when we get older, their children would've aged" She shrugs, whirling her head around as the other suddenly starts to cough.

She stands up, walking back to her without saying anything. I finish writing my name, looking at the other names above me. Jane was the last one to be added, she was above me, Colton was above her, a Peter, but a few names were between him and Eisley. I carefully stand up, pushing the bed back in its place.

"What is wrong with her?" I ask softly and Eisley looks at me with sorrow in her eyes.

"In a minute" She tells me, helping Jane sit up and brining a water bottle to her lips. Jane's eyes were half open, not really seeing anything it seemed like. I don't know how long it took before Jane fell asleep again, and Eisley put her down, but it was too long for my liking. She was just a little girl.

Eisley sighs, wiping her face with her sleeve before walking over to me and dragging me to the bed farthest away from Jane. She fully climbed onto the bed, sitting in a cross-legged position.

"She got hurt when Colton, the previous Peter, tried to escape. The wounds… they're infected. Without going to the hospital, I don't think she will make it"

"You mean… she will die?" I whisper, eyes going wide. Eisley sighs, but there was no annoyance in it, just sadness.

"Better get used to it Mikey, she won't be the last"

21st November, 2009. 20:00

It was hours later when I heard a door suddenly opened, followed by footsteps and our door opening. I look up, tears blurring my vision slightly but I blink a couple of times before the image of the man appears. The man who took me away from my family. I could feel myself tearing up again but I grit my teeth, willing the tears away.

The man glanced to me, longer that I'd like, quickly glancing at Eisley and Jane before stepping into the room and carrying a plate, placing it on the table that was in the middle of the room.

"W-Wait!" I stammer, standing up and walking over to the man, or at least, I tried to. The moment I had uttered the sentence, I felt something pull me back to the bed, Eisley's arm around my arm.

"Stay down" She hisses, her eyes on the man in front of her.

The man glances at me, a frown on his face before he turned around, closing the door but to my surprise, he didn't lock it. I heard the metal gate being shut, locked before the noises died down. Eisley had long told me that they had soundproofed the entire basement, everything above this level was completely separated from us.

"Don't approach him, you're going to get yourself killed" Eisley hisses, releasing me. I stand up slowly, looking at the door.

"He didn't lock it" I whisper and Eisley nods with a sigh, standing up as well and walking over to the door, opening it.

"C'mon" She whispers, glancing back at Jane for a moment before walking through the door. I stood there for a split second, hesitant to go out but eventually I followed her. We entered the same hallway I was dragged through when I first arrived. I swallow thickly, walking over to the gate that held us captive, resting my fingers on top of it.

Eisley didn't say anything, didn't make a sound except for when she slowly walked over to me after a while, placing a hand on my shoulder. She smiled sadly at me, gesturing for me to follow her again. I nod, complying. The hallway wasn't that long, the first door on the right led to our room.

As far as I could call it our room, or my room.

On the other side of the door was another door, and Eisley opened that one carefully, showing a single toilet and a sink.

"They keep this one unlocked most of the time, water is drinkable" She tells me, closing the door before I could really take a good look. "That door over there is the bathroom, they keep it electronically locked most of the time" She points at the door at the end of the hallway, the opposite of the doorway back up.

To freedom.

"Why?" I ask and Eisley just shrugs.

"You never know with those nutjobs" She says, pointing to the door that was to the right of the bathroom, on the same side as the big room. "There are two more rooms over there with two beds. If they don't want you with the rest they will put you in there. Don't do anything stupid to get in there" She warns me, turning around and gesturing to the door again.

I took the hint, slowly walking into the common room again, eyeing at Jane with guilt in my eyes. She seemed weak, fragile as she lay there. Her face, white as the sheets she was laying in, didn't hide the fact that she was obviously dying.

"How are you so chill?" I whisper as Eisley closes the door behind her and she eyes at me with an empty gaze.

"Don't get attached to anyone here, they all die eventually" She murmurs, looking at Jane before crawling into one of the bed, the best she had obviously claimed as her own, and the bed that was hiding the names.

I numbly look around, not seeing a light switch or anything so I mimic Eisley's actions, crawling into the only bed that was still available. I curled up in a tight ball, covering myself almost completely with the blanket to make sure nobody would hear my cries of anguish, my cries of wanting to go home.

And to try and block out the cries of pain coming from the dying girl in the same room.


	4. Chapter 4

May 23rd, 2014. 13:52

"Any particular reason you do not share this with your family?" The woman asks softly, and I look up, staring for a few moments before shrugging.

"I don't know to be honest" I answer, looking at the woman in front of me. The room was empty of anyone but us. The room felt safe, filled with nothing interesting but the basic furniture, and yet it made me feel safe. The woman was looking at me with curious eyes and she nodded softly.

She had dark auburn hair and a few, barely visible, freckles in the bridge of her nose and around her cheekbones. She looked younger than she actually was, which at her age was considered a compliment. 42 years old but barely passing for 35.

"Are you afraid of their reactions?" She questioned softly and I shrug again.

"Not necessarily" I say and she looks at me with a small smile on her face, urging me to continue. "I'm afraid to hurt them by telling. I don't want to upset them"

"You are kind spirited Mikey" She comments and I crack a smile. "But sometimes it's better to be selfish, put yourself in front of others."

"Even if I hurt them?" I whisper, shrinking into the couch slightly as I stared at my therapist in front of me. Melissa seems to be thinking for a split second, almost like she was unsure of what to say next before she nods.

"I can be last person to tell you what to do, or not to do. But it will help you and them, it will help all of you to heal from this trauma" I frown slightly, uncurling my legs from under me and stretching them as pins and needles were starting to attack my legs right now. I wasn't even wearing shoes right now.

I've only been talking to her for a week, but she had quickly reassured me that I had to make myself at home here. Her kind and caring presence had obviously helped with reassuring me that I could relax here, because I had no problem following her orders of making myself at home in her study.

"It will help them?" I question after a short silence and Melissa nods again.

"By talking to them you will build up a bond of trust, you will open yourself up to your family so they can heal you, and in turn heal themselves"

"Make myself vulnerable you mean" I suddenly scowl but Melissa is unfazed by the sudden mood swing and I dig my nails into my arms in frustration. Melissa knew of the mood swings I often had. Which were, luckily, not nearly as bad to be anything close to a disease. The mood swings were to be expected.

Especially how I spent my last 4 years caring about every single girl that entered the basement, and subsequently, my life.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing Mikey. Not if you open up to your family." Melissa tells me and I take a breath. "And you already told them about Eisley" I tense significantly at the name, feeling my nails dig even deeper into my flesh and Melissa gently reaches forwards, placing a soft hand on my hand.

I slowly relax again, my nails leaving my flesh again. She doesn't comment on it, just waits for me to say something. But the names were still a sore subject to me, it only reminded me of that place.

"Only the first day, I only told them about Eisley showing me around the basement. Not about Jane… "

"Then why don't you?" She asks me softly and I look up again, feeling tears burn in my eyes.

"Because I'm scared to relive it again"

November 22nd, 2009. 08:15

"Jane?" I whisper softly, trailing the back of my finger along her cheek softly. She blinks softly, dull eyes looking at me but she didn't answer or react in any way other than opening her eyes for now. "She's getting worse" I whirl around, fear seeping through my face. My heart was beating painfully in my chest.

Eisley initially didn't respond, but eventually stood up. "Don't get too attached Mikey, she won't make it till the next week probably" She warned me and I frown, eyes following her closely as she picked up a bottle of water and threw it over to me.

I ignore her remark, turning back to Jane again and carefully unscrewing the lid while still holding her up. I elevated her a bit more and her eyes cracked open again, blinking a few times before her gaze rested on the bottle in front of her.

"'Not thirsty" She whispered- no, croaked, turning her head away as if the sight was making her sick.

"You have to drink something Jane" I urge her but she doesn't even respond anymore. I sigh, laying her on the bed again and taking a few sips myself. I glanced at Eisley, who was looking at me with sharp eyes. I turn my head away from her again, facing Jane instead. But after a few seconds I stand up.

I couldn't bear looking at her face, not while I knew she was dying. I knew I was being selfish, but she was dying over there.

I glance around the room a couple of times, but there was barely anything in the door. The three beds, the small table with 3 chairs, and the closet above Jane's and Eisley's bed that was still locked. There wasn't anything to do except sit around and do nothing, take care of Jane.

"Why wouldn't they be worried?" I ask suddenly and I know, without looking, that Eisley hadn't looked either.

"Don't try to find any logic, there won't be any" She mumbled.

"How come?" I ask and she sighs, a short silence following.

"Because they're crazy. There's not logic because of that. One day they will lock the door, or lock the closet, one day they won't. One day they will care for you, nurse you when you're sick, other times they won't." She stopped for a second, and I look at her. "One time they will find a child that looked like theirs, other times they won't"

TMNT

November 22nd, 2009. 18:42

"Jane?" I ask softly, shaking her little body slightly. Still, she didn't respond. "Jane?" I ask again, shaking her a bit harder but she made no movement, no sign of waking up. My blood ran cold, and I could feel my head spinning violently, stomach turning at the mere thought. She couldn't be.

My hands were shaking as I brought one up to her wrist, placing a finger on the inside of his wrist.. but I couldn't detect any heartbeat. I choke on my own breath, hand trailing to her neck. It was agonisingly quiet, and no heartbeat could be felt beneath my fingers, no sign of life at all.

She was dead.

"Eisley!" I scream, whirling around. The girl looks up quickly, sitting in the corner of the room with a book in her hands. Her eyes immediately landed on Jane's lifeless body and her eyes just went dead, numb, disconnected. She closed her book softly, standing up carefully and making her way over to me.

She glanced at me for a second before kneeling down in front of the bed, grasping Jane's arms and placing them on top of her own stomach. She then slid her arms under her knees and back, hosting her up.

"What are you doing?" I croak, looking up at the two girls. Eisley didn't spare me a glance, walking over to the door and awkwardly opening it. She turned left, towards the stairs leading upstairs, there was a short silence before she entered the room again, without the little girl, without Jane.

"What have you done?" I demand, jumping up. She glared towards me.

"What needs to be done Mikey" She snapped but I furiously shook my head, sprinting past her out of the room. There she was. My eyes widened, staring at the dead body that was just in front of the gate separating us from them. Eyes closed, and looking peaceful. But still dead as could be.

And left to rot so disrespectfully.

"You don't care?!" I could feel myself cry out in rage, turning back and storming back into the room. "You don't care that she died at all?!" I continue, walking straight at her and shoving her backwards.

Eisley frowns in anger. "She died Mikey, what do you want me to do? Hold a service?" She retorted, still calm and collected. I can feel anger and frustration coursing through my body.

"Of course not! But you just don't care do you? You didn't care about her, didn't comfort her when she was dying, when she needed the comf-"

"And that's where you are wrong Mikey, I do care" She hisses, narrowing her eyes.

"You are leaving her in the hallway, you didn't comfort her when she cried, how is that caring?!"

"I cared for her! I cared for all of them okay?!" She lowers her voice, still glaring at me with tears in her eyes. "But I cared enough, I cared too much for this place. Everyone dies here eventually so why bother getting attached?"

There was a long silence between us, and neither of us were willing to admit defeat. Angry tears were streaming down Eisley's cheeks and I could feel them burning in my eyes as well.

"Take my advice now Mikey, don't get attached, it will hurt you too much. Jane hurts me, Colton hurt me… but the others I connected with.. the others I cared about" She stops for a second, furiously wiping away her tears. "They are still hurting, they make my heart ache. That's why I don't care about them anymore, and that's why I won't care about you"

May 23rd, 2014. 15:02

"That's horrible" Don whispers and I look up with fearful eyes, not bothered by the tears streaming down my face.

"The worst part is.. she was right." I whisper, turning away from my family again. "Every Maddy, every Jessy that died hurt so much I thought I'd die from sadness."

"But you still loved everyone of them" Melissa softly asks and I nod, looking around the room. Everyone was here, Don, Raph, Leo, dad but also Melissa. And they had just heard everything that had happened up to Jane's death, and just shortly afterwards.

"I loved everyone of them to make sure they felt safe, to make sure they wouldn't feel as lonely as I did those first 2 weeks-" I stop myself, shaking my head. "How I felt every day, all those years. I tried to be their big brother, family. But every time someone died… " I stop again, wiping away my tears and looking up.

I could see Leo nod, sadness written so clearly on his face. He understood the story was over, he understood that I didn't want to continue with this topic. But I also knew that he understood what I was trying to say. Eisley never showed affection for either of us, for the Jessy that followed.

And in return, I loved every Jessy and Maddy that came after Jane and Eisley respectively to prevent them from feeling as alone as I felt. Hurting myself, the hurt Eisley protected herself from by distancing herself.

"What happened to the body?" Melissa asks softly and I look at her, taking a deep breath.

"They took her away when they brought our food, I don't know what happened after"

Melissa is silent for a moment, nodding slightly as she quickly wrote something down.

"You said.. you said you felt lonely the first 2 weeks before you corrected yourself. What happened after those 2 weeks?" Her voice was still kind, and low, a care in her voice that I hadn't expected from someone like her, someone whose job was listening to damaged teens every day.

But she seemed to connect on a personal level. I knew it was bull, but she made me feel safe.

"I got sick after 2 weeks" I mumble, rubbing my hands together anxiously. "I guess it was from the stress, I didn't feel well a week after Jane's death. I couldn't sleep, I kept seeing her pale face. So I got sick after 2 weeks"

I swallow thickly, surprised at myself for being so open about everything. But it felt so liberating at the same time, telling my family and having them known everything. I wanted to tell them I realised, I wanted them to know. But at the same time I could feel my heartbeat rising, speeding up.

"Eisley mostly ignored me, only helped me with necessary things like feeding me, food, water, making sure I went to the toilet. But it got worse, so bad that the parents took me upstairs with them to make sure I wouldn't die"

I could hear both Don and Leo gasp in surprise, and a look of sadness crossed over dad's face. Raph.. he was just angry at my confession. A confession that I almost died in the first 2 weeks. Little did they know there would be more instances where I could've died, where I should've died. I'm just glad I didn't, both for the sake of returning to my family.

But the biggest reason, at least during the last 4 years, making sure no other Peter would be kidnapped, and to make sure I wouldn't leave the girl alone, make sure they wouldn't get a Peter like Eisley, cold and distant. One who wouldn't hold them during a nightmare, one who wouldn't sing them to sleep or comfort them.

One who loved them unconditionally.

"What happened Mikey?" Melissa urged me gently and I blink a couple of times, suddenly realising I had been quiet for some time. I swallow again, looking up.

"The put me in a tub to get my temperature down, washed me.. I-I don't really remember much of it. But I know they left me alone in a room. That's why Rachel escaped, I knew she'd be left alone if she got sick and taken upstairs. Didn't know if they'd take her upstairs though" I shrug uncomfortably.

"What happened?" Don asks softly and I sigh.

"She was treated like I was, and when they left her alone, she used the knife we got to open the locks." I explain, bowing my head. "It took me 2 days to get better, or at least good enough to be sent back down again. And when I got down… they had already found a replacement for Jane… Emelia"


	5. Chapter 5

7th December 2009. 19:15

My legs still didn't want to corporate entirely correctly, but at least I could walk on my own again. My legs felt like jelly when I walked down the stairs and my head was spinning, not to mention how fast my heart was racing the closer I got to the gate. I wanted to run, scream, fight back against them.

But I knew I was too weak to do so.

So I painfully watched as the man unlocked the gate, stepping aside before the woman pushed me forwards. I stumbled into the hallway, eyes flickering uneasily to the door before the man nods, gesturing me to go inside. I obey, walking into the room.

I freeze. For a moment I'm stuck in the doorway, eyes glued to the bright green eyes staring back at me. A new girl, another girl, another Jessy...another one since Jane died. I swallow harshly, only moving when I felt a hand on my back. I take quick steps into the room, whirling around so fast I almost lost my balance.

"Did you finish your homework Maddy?" The woman asks, and Eisley grinds her teeth, nodding and handing the woman something. The woman sighs, not directly reading it but Eisley seems on edge, muscles tightened in anticipation.

"I really hope you did better honey" She says, turning around. "I really do" She murmurs, closing the door behind her. Nobody dared to breathe a word until the gate was locked and the footsteps were gone. We were left alone again. My thoughts were scrambled, not knowing what to do right now.

Why had they been so nice all of a sudden? Why hadn't they helped Jane when she was dying? Not to mention the comment the woman made about Eisley performing better this time, or the new g-

I stop immediately, whirling around again to look at the girl, huddled on what used to be Jane's old bed, Eisley must've told her that this was her bed, and eyes red.

"Hey, what's your name?" I ask softly, walking over to her while ignoring Eisley's glare. I wasn't going to ignore the new girl like Eisley ignored me. She looks up to me warily as I sit down next to her on the bed.

"Emelia" She whispers and I try to smile through the fatigue, my body still fighting off the last bits of the sickness.

"How old are you Emelia?" I ask, and she scans me for a moment.

"I'm seven years old" My breath hitches slightly at the reveal, she was just 7 years old. She was too young, everyone was way too young here. Nobody was supposed to be here in the first place. "What is going on?" She whispers softly, looking at me with desperate eyes. Probably the same expression I had a few weeks ago.

But how could I possibly explain to her what was going on? Was I supposed to be honest with her? I knew I was, I knew she deserved to know the truth but she was just 7 years old. I didn't want to hurt her by telling her, didn't want to upset her.

"I-I… Emelia, some people took you, and us-"

"Bad people?" She whispers, and I nod painfully. "They took me from mommy" Tears were back in her eyes again and I reached out gently, pulling her against my side. She instantly buried her face in my side, shaking.

"It's going to be alright Emi, you have us… you have me" I correct myself after a short silence and I can see Eisley shooting daggers at me but I ignore it. I knew it wasn't fair to drag her through the mud like that but at times like these, we couldn't be selfish. We couldn't be loners to avoid getting hurt.

We had to stick together.

"I'm Mikey by the way" I whisper and she looks up to me, blinking innocently before her expression falls again.

"I want to go home" She whispers sadly, fresh tears streaming down her face. I sigh sadly.

"I know Em, I do too" I say, rubbing her side gently. I stayed with her the whole night, pushing back the thoughts of making her ill as well with my ever decreasing fever. I allowed her to use me as a human pillow, allowed her to snuggle against me as she cried the whole night until she fell asleep.

At one point Eisley had gotten up and crawled into her own bed, but she shot me a glance, a tiny smile of appreciation. I didn't return it, closing my eyes and trying to sleep. I knew I was being unfair to her. She just showed me she was grateful I looked after Emelia, when she wouldn't.

But I was still mad.. disappointed at her for turning her back on Jane, on Emelia. But I kept reminding myself that hatred wouldn't get us through this. So I tucked the blanket around the small figure of Emelia, smiling as she pressed her face in my side with a content smile on her own.

And for once in my life I was the big brother.

8th December 2009. 14:59

"What did she mean yesterday, with the homework?" I ask, leaning back against the wall of the hallway, the moment Eisley walks past me. She stops, turning around with an angry expression on her face but she bit her lip in hesitation before sighing. She walked over to me, sitting down on the ground next to me.

"Maddy was apparently some reading genius... " She stops herself, looking down. "I'm not"

"You can't read?" I ask softly and she shakes her head almost hesitantly.

"Not necessarily, let's just say it isn't my favourite thing to do" She murmurs and I nod absently. She looks at me with a blank expression. "What are you waiting for?" She asks after a silence and I look at her with a grim look on my face.

"Emi is taking a shower, I wasn't sure if I could leave her alone" Eisley turns her head towards the end of the hallway, probably only noticing the sound of running water just now. She shakes her head after a while, standing up.

"Just remember she will probably not make it till next year, but I think you've made up your mind already" She tells me, lingering for a moment. I nod slowly.

"I'm not going to abandon her" There was a slight hint of anger in my voice but it didn't seem to affect Eisley at all. She just shrugged, turning from me and walking over to the bathroom.

8th December 2009. 18:26

"Don't speak to them" I whisper, holding Emelia close as footsteps continuously came closer. Eisley watched me warily but I ignored her, drawing Emelia a bit closer to me. She was shuddering in my embrace but her eyes were firmly on the door.

All too sudden the door opened, revealing the woman. Her eyes landed on Emelia immediately, and she smiled. The smile seemed genuine but it still creeped me out.

"Hon, can you help us upstairs?" She asks, her eyes clued on the little girl in my arms. I stiffen. The woman frowns at the lack of response. "Jessy?" She asks and I could feel Em opening her mouth.

"My na-" She starts but I immediately clamp my hand on top of her mouth, shaking my head. She looks at me with fearful eyes and I slowly release my hand.

"Peter, release your sister" The woman frowns, and so do I before my gaze turns into a glare. "Jessy, come here this instant" The woman suddenly snaps and Em jolts out of fear, body rigid from fear. That seemed to snap her out of the fantasy world she was living in, with her perfect children.

Before I could blink, she started walking over to us, completely ignoring Eisley on her way. I couldn't even comprehend it myself but before I knew it I had shoved Em behind me, standing up. Then, even surprising me, I felt something hit my cheek. The sheer force, and maybe the surprise, behind it sent me crumbling to the ground.

I could hear Emi cry out before I even hit the ground, and I hit hard. My head connected with the ground and for a second black spots were blocking my vision. The next thing I heard was Emelia cry out as the woman grasped her arm.

"I will be coming back for you" The woman spit my way, eyes blazing with venom as she dragged Emelia out of the room. The girl tried her best to walk along but she mostly stumbled by the force the woman dragged her away. And before I knew what was really happening, I heard the fence close.

I wince, trying to lessen the pounding in my head, slowly standing up. The only thing I could focus on was Eisley's terrified expression.

"Idiot" She cursed, standing up and walking over to me. I blinked a couple of times at the sudden worry she was expressing. "You big idiot" She hisses, brushing back my hair and retracting her fingers. Red crimson was on her fingers and she glared right back at me.

"I told you not to intervene" She hissed again, shoving me backwards before she took a hesitant step backwards. I could only blink. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

Despite the situation, I couldn't help the smile that was tugging on my lips. "My older brother Raph" I state but Eisley doesn't seems to be humoured by my reaction, frowning instead.

"You better hope the man isn't home" She continues but the moment she said it, as if she was speaking of the devil, the door was heard opening, quickly followed by the gate. My eyes widen immediately when the man appeared, an absolute furious expression on his face, glaring at me.

"What did I tell you about making our life difficult?!" He hisses, stalking over to me and grabbing my hair. I cry out in pain, the sound cut off by an arm connecting to my side. I gasp, knees buckling before giving out completely.

"Stop!" I cry out, but the man above me didn't relent, ripping the belt from his pants before lashing out.

9th December 2009. 8:56

"Mikey?" The voice was distant, distorted. I groan, body slowly starting to tinkle. I heard the voice again, but I couldn't comprehend what the one speaking was saying. The tingling continued, uncomfortable. I try to move, but for some reason my body seemed to have locked up completely.

"Wake up" Eisley?

A hand was placed on my shoulder and suddenly I realised why my body was tingling before. I cry out in pain, it felt like I had been set on fire, pain washing over me. It seemed to crash into my like a tsunami wave and I shuddered, withering on the ground like a snake before I felt two strong hands pushing me down.

My eyes flew open and I gasp, somehow out of breath. The first thing I saw were the worried eyes of Emelia, looking down at me with tears in her eyes. Pain almost completely forgotten I quickly scan her. She didn't seem to be injured, just scared. For me.

"Welcome back" Eisley grimaces and I blink a couple of times. Pain was still pulsing through my body but it was manageable. I look around, suddenly realising I wasn't in the main room. It was a small room, a bed barely fit into the room, and next to it was an open space. It was probably just big enough to put a second bed in but the space was used as a path.

"Where.. where are we?" I mutter and Eisley grimaces.

"We're in the two spare rooms, they didn't want you with us last night" She explains. I frown, realising where I was suddenly. The two rooms Eisley had told me about the first day I was here. If they didn't want us to be together during the night, or during the day, they'd lock us up in either of two small rooms.

The man had probably dragged me to the room.

"Can you stand?" Em softly asks and I nod, wincing slightly. Everything burned, put I pushed past it nevertheless. I slowly rose to my feet, and I felt Eisley snake an arm around me, helping me stand. I sent her a grateful smile but she just shook her head. As if she was telling me this didn't mean anything.

She would still try to not care.

I could feel Emelia's stare, burning into my back but I just kept focusing on getting to the room again. Eisley helped me sit down on the bed and I sigh in content, allowing the soft material below me ease the pain. I had slept on the floor after all, worsening the pain I was feeling, even if I was unconscious for most of it.

"What happened?"

"He beat you for being disobedient, I told you to stay out of the way" Eisley almost snapped but the biting tone was more than evident. Instead of answering I turn my gaze towards Emelia, who had tears in her eyes, threatening to spill. And I had no way to distract her… that is until I saw the wall.

"Hey Emi" I call out, catching her attention. She sniffles slightly, wiping away the tears as if nothing had happened. Did she cry often? "Can you be a strong girl for me and push that bed away from the wall?" I ask, pointing to the bed. She frowns for a moment, reluctantly standing up before pushing the bed from the wall.

The bed wasn't heavy at all. It was a cheap bed after all, the bare minimum in terms of materials. Even the mattress was thin. The two list of names were exposed and I grimace for a moment.

"Can you write your name?" I ask and she nods, I stand up. My legs were shaking, pain intensifying but I walked over to the space between the bed and the wall, sitting down. She unconsciously walked over to me and I smiled despite the situation. She trusted me. I gestured her to sit down, which she did.

"Write down your name below mine" I whisper, nudging her side gently. She nodded shyly again and I lean back against the bed, closing my eyes for a moment. Moments later I opened my eyes again, only to see her done with writing her name. The letters were big, but I expected nothing less from someone her age.

"Put a J behind it" I tell her. A J for Jessy. Just like my name had a P behind it for Peter. And somewhat up the list was Eisley with the letter M.

"What now?" She asks softly and I turn around to watch Eisley. She immediately turned her head away from me, but she must've realised I had caught her staring at us and she turned her angry gaze back to me.

"Are there any games here?" I ask and she nods curtly, looking over at the closet that was behind us. In the corner where the two beds were pushed against. "Can you pick one?" I ask her and Emi nods jerkily, jumping to her feet. I frown slightly at the movements, something was off with her.

She seemed anxious around me, and yet seemed to be clinging to me at the same time. But both reactions still too minimal to be truly suspicious. And to be fair, I didn't really want to think about it for now, not her behaviour, not Eisley's distaste for the subject of homework and her reading skills.

All that mattered was the fact that we had been kidnapped. That I missed my family. I moved unconsciously back to the bed again, leaning against the closet behind me with a pillow in between my back and the piece of furniture. I was tired, emotionally that is. My body throbbed in pain, and I just wanted to go home.

Em crawled into the same bed, having chosen a game to play. I really didn't pay attention that much, not too focused on winning or enjoying.

The only thing that mattered was the smile on Em's face as she forgot, albeit for a moment, where she was.


	6. Chapter 6

June 4th, 2010. 22:10

"What's wrong?" Eisley asks, glancing at Em for a moment to see if she was still asleep. Luckily for us though, Em was a heavy sleeper. I look up, unable to hide the tears on my face, or the marks on the wall behind me.

"Fireworks" I mutter and Eisley looks up, as if she was able to see them. But we had no windows, hadn't seen daylight in months. "It's the fourth of July probably… the fireworks" I mutter, trying to dry my eyes off. I shudder while taking a breath, trying to get my tears under control.

Eisley seemed to be as confused as ever and I sigh, wrapping my arms around my legs.

"Me and my bros would always watch the fireworks together with dad, it reminds me… that I'm not with them" I mutter, looking up. "And I realise how long I've been here" I continue. Understanding bleeds through Eisley's features and she nods, looking up for a second as well.

"I get that feeling" She mutters but shakes her head. "Just don't try to count days, or you'll lose your mind." She continues, lingering for a few moments before turning around in her bed, pulling the blanket over herself. I was left alone, Em was, thankfully, still sleeping. I didn't want her to see me cry right now.

I had to be strong for her. And Eisley obviously didn't want to talk. I sigh again, leaning back against the wall before I frown slightly. We had written our names down, why not the dates? It would be impossible to do every day, or every month. Without anything exciting we could never be sure.

But fireworks meant either of two things, the fourth of July and New Year's Eve. This was the second time I had heard fireworks since I got here. I softly crawl out of my bed, lingering for a few moments before pushing my bed to the side slightly before I sat down.

I didn't think much as I began to carve the wall, I carefully wrote the 21st of November 2009 on the wall. I still remembered, I would never forget that date. I wrote New Year's Eve 2009-2010 down, before carving the 4th of July 2010 down. I smile slightly, this would help me. I would know where I was in time.

So I wouldn't forget how long I had been gone, and hopefully not forget who I was. I glance over to Em's sleeping form, her expression peaceful luckily. Despite the situation, she could still sleep peacefully. Eisley had her face turned away from me, but I knew she wasn't asleep yet.

She always had trouble sleeping here, fear of what was to come. The couple wasn't very kind to her, harsh. Maddy was the smartest out of the three, and Eisley wasn't. I sigh, crawling into my bed again but sitting down with my back against the wall, knees drawn to my chest.

I couldn't do anything to help her. She didn't help me, tried to not care about me, and yet, I couldn't help myself. I could only care about her, I could only hope to protect her to the best of my ability until either of us would be gone.

My fingers softly crawled to my side and I wince at the imaginary pain, the few scars that have remained. It hadn't been my last beating when they tried to take Em. But I had no one else to blame but the real Peter. Who wouldn't listen to words, who would only listen to actions.

It hadn't been abuse back then, or at least that what Eisley had told me, and even that information has been passed down numerous other kids. Hits, but nothing too painful, and definitely not enough to bruise, rip open skin or scar. But I guess, at the same time, I couldn't blame Peter either.

And in a twisted way, Mr. Lewis as well.

Even if he was the reason I hadn't seen my family in over 6 months.

May 25th, 2014. 16:45

"So you knew how long you'd been there?" Leo asks softly and I look at him, nodding.

"I never really listened to Eish when it came to advice like this. It grounded me, kept me sane to know how long I had been there" I swallow. "I mean I know it didn't mean much there but I would be horrified not to know how old I was, how old you were… but I never counted days. I couldn't, even if I wanted to"

I knew they would understood why. Because there were no windows, no sense of time, no sense of night and day. It messed up my rhythm quite badly, and it took some adjusting the first week or so. But it was one of the least problematic things I had to do in the last month, or really in the last 4 years.

"I can imagine, it was one thing that would provide certainty" Don rationalises and I shrug.

"I mean.. having Em around was something that kept me grounded as well, and everyone that followed…" I trail off again, rubbing my arms in an anxious manner.

"Do you know when Eisley died?" Don continues softly, not wanting to scare me. I almost scoff at the idea but I understood nevertheless. The girls had been a touchy subject, but ever since opening up about Jane's death and my first 2 weeks, I felt more relieved and more confident about telling them.

"Not the exact date but it wasn't that long after the fourth of July" I say with a low voice.

August 8th, 2010. 18:26

"Oh no you definitely cheated!" I cry out, laughing as Emelia giggled innocently.

"I wasn't" Em grinned, and I look at her in a challenging manner.

"Are you sure you didn't?" I snicker, but Em is persistent and she shakes her head innocently. "Not even when tickle monster asks?" I ask, but before I give her time to recover I launch forwards. Laughter fills the room as Emelia squirms under me, trying to roll away, get away from my fingers.

I laugh as well, fingers dancing around her sides and continuing to tickle her.

"Are you ready to admit defeat?" I ask, letting her up for a moment. She just grins again and I roll my eyes, poking her sides one more time for good measure. She giggles again, squirming away from me.

"Stop" She laughs and I laugh as well, finally letting her up. She grins, crawling upwards until she was sitting on the bed again instead of laying down. I reach forwards, brushing her hair out of her face. She smiled, and I continue brushing through her hair, carefully untangling the knots that was in it.

I glance upwards, Eisley was sitting on my bed right now, a book clutched in her hands and a frown on her face. But for the whole day she had seemed off, nervous about something. But I had learned soon enough that Eish wanted to be left alone, so I didn't ask her about it and just tried to keep Em company.

"Will you make a braid?" Em asks softly, glancing upwards.

"I don't know how" I say with a frown but she just continues smiling.

"I will teach you" I snicker at the implication, nodding.

"I would like that Em"

An hour or so passed, and Em and I continued to mess with her hair. Trying out new hairstyles she loved and me generally messing them up. But Em loved every minute of it. This only confirmed my previous story, her parents never gave her this love. She was starved for the attention, and she didn't want to show it.

But not matter how hard she tried, she was like an open book to me.

"What was that?" Emelia suddenly whimpered and both Eish and I snap our heads towards the door. Immediately the colour seemed to vanish from Eisley's face and she seems frozen on the spot, she knew what was going on. But I had no chance to find out what was wrong with her.

Because before I knew it, the door slammed open, almost tearing out of its hinges.

"Madilyn Adelaine Lewis!" The dad raged, and Eisley whimpered in fear. "What were you thinking?! Getting an F on your test?!" He continued and suddenly I too understood what was going on. He was mad at Eisley for failing her reading test.

"Dad I'm sorry" She whimpered and I almost flinch at the sentence. Dad, she called her dad. But I knew it wasn't sincere, she was trying to calm him down, she tried to play along. To make him less mad. I wrap my arms around Em the moment she whimpers in fear, pressing her close.

"Madilyn would never score an F" He continued, much more calmer this time and I can feel my blood run cold. Eisley seemed to understand as well, eyes widening. He didn't believe Eisley could be Maddy anymore. The moment the man reached for his belt I was already running towards him.

"NO!" I cry out, wrapping my arm around his to avoid him from striking. He whirled around, anger dripping from his face and he struck out, hitting my face with his fist. I cry out again, falling backwards and feeling blood drip down my face. But I never felt or heard a crack, which was a minor relief.

"This doesn't concern you Peter" He glares, grabbing Eisley's wrist and hauling her off the bed before dragging her out of the room.

"No" I croak, darting to the door, but it didn't open. "EISH!" I cry out, slamming my hands against the door. The sound of the belt was heard before Eisley cried out, screaming in pain. I slump forwards, feeling tears mix with the blood that was flowing out of my nose. No. Another cry of pain.

I was numb as I turned around. Em was staring at me with absolute horror on her face, cringing with every scream of pain. I immediately made my way over to her, sitting next to her and curling myself around her. I shielded her face with my chest, pressing my hands over her ears.

And I endured the screams of pain, I endured everything to ensure Emi wouldn't hear it. I would do anything for her.

I hadn't even realised the screaming had stopped until the door almost soundlessly unlocked itself. I sniffle, wiping the tears away. The tears were red, mixed with the blood that was now mostly dried on my face. I look down at Em, who was still trembling in my hold, tears on her cheeks.

"Stay here, I mean it Em" I say when I took my hands off her ears. And for once, I wasn't kidding, wasn't fooling around. And Emi seemed to understand that, as she nodded. I carefully reach for the blanket, wrapping it around her. I stood up, shakily walking over to the door.

There she was, laying on the ground with blood pooling out of her and knife sticking out of her stomach. My breath hitches in my throat, and I can just think clearly enough to close the door behind me.

"Eish?" I ask and pained eyes travel to mine.

"M-Mi…-" She stops herself, coughing painfully. That seemed to snap me out of whatever daze I was in, and I close the distance between us, falling to my knees. With great care, I carefully host her up softly, placing her on my upper thighs so she was more comfortable.

"Ssssshhhh" I try to shush her, voice hitching. But she just whimpered in pain, blood filling her mouth. I moved slightly and her hand immediately grasped mine.

"Don't go!" She cried weakly, speech slurred because of the blood.

"I'm not going anywhere" I try to assure her, sobbing.

"I-I .. I'm sorry" She stutters, coughing again. She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm s-sorry for shutting you o-out. I c-cared.."

"I know" I whisper back, stroking the side of her face.

"L-Look af...a-after them" She whispers, more blood streaming down the side of her face, and gasping for breath. "Look a-after E-Emi.. look after a-all of-" She cuts herself off, taking a pained breath and closing her eyes.

"Hey hey!" I choke on a sob, squeezing her hand. She weakly squeezed back, opening her eyes just slightly. "I will look after them, after all of them. Every girl that will come. I will them out of here, I will escape" Eish is silent, barely moving as if she was already gone, then a small smile appears on her face.

"Too …. soft f-for ..here" She mutters and I choke out a laugh, tears still streaming down my face.

"You bet" I whisper softly. She keeps staring up at me, tears softly streaming down her face but not saying anything. Her chest heaved, trying desperately to get in enough oxygen and push past the pain. But the struggles lessened every second, every time she took a breath. She was fading.

I continued to stroke her cheek, and both of us seemed to be fine with the silence. Eisley's hand never left my hand, but her grip loosened ever so slightly as moments passed by.

Another tear was pushed past her eyes, a soft breath pushed out of her lung and she closes her eyes, not opening them. I choke on a sob, waiting for her eyes to flutter open again, waiting for her chest to rise again. But it never came. She was dead. The realisation hit me like a ton of bricks, like a physical blow to my chest.

Tears start dripping down my face and before I knew it I'm wailing. I don't care about Emi in the other room right now, I wail. I wail and the only thought I could have was Eisley. I wail loudly, bowing my head and placing my forehead against Eisley's. Sobs wrack through my body, and I'm heaving, trying to get enough oxygen.

She was dead.

I failed her.

The door creaked slightly and I shot up, staring at Emi with wide eyes, and before I know it I feel anger bubbling up.

"No! Get back Em!" I cry out, scream almost. Em's eyes widen in fear but she stays rooted. "Em! GO!" I roar and only then does she listen, closing the door. I cry softly, tears intensifying the moment the door was closed. I wail, I wail and wonder how I could still stay conscious with the lack of oxygen.

My chest was burning, loss of oxygen or mourning, I didn't know. I just wailed until I was too exhausted to cry, too exhausted as the tears just wouldn't come anymore.

I was just empty.

I slowly heave myself up, dragging myself to the bathroom. I'm barely aware of my own actions as I fill a bucket with water and retrieve some towels from the storage closet. Her heart had stopped… so no blood was being pumped around her body. The bleeding had seemed to stop almost completely.

I barely remember cleaning her cuts, dragging her from the spot, closest to the gate. I placed her down, legs straight, and hands on her stomach. She seemed almost peaceful, no blood to be seen except for the tiny bit of blood still surrounding her cuts.

Nausea was pooling up when I cleaned the blood, but I bit it down. I only stopped until the floor was spotless. I remember walking back to the bathroom, dumping the red water in the sink before getting rid of my clothes. I stepped into the shower, feeling a tiny bit of relief the moment the blood washes down my body, into the drain.

I don't know how long I had been standing there, but I didn't care.

The only thing that made me stop was the nausea suddenly intensifying. I immediately turned off the water, stumbling out of the shower and dropping to my knees in front of the toilet. I was just fast enough to get my head above the water before my stomach rejected the food in my stomach.

I retch, vomit spewing into the toilet.

Water was still dripping down my whole body, hair still wet, but I didn't care, couldn't care.

I continued retching until nothing was left in my stomach to reject. Then slowly I managed to dry myself off, and suddenly grateful for the parents still providing us with a few set of clothes in the storage room, and washing them every once in a while. And even if I didn't want to see anyone, I dragged myself back to the room.

Even if I didn't want to pass Eisley's body, I walked past it to get to Emi.

Because it wasn't about me anymore, I was the eldest and I was supposed to look after the girls. I had promised Eisley. I promised I would look after them and find a way to escape.

I would look after my little sister, and the other girls that would still come.


	7. Chapter 7

May 28th, 2014. 01:56

I had been awake way before the first scream resonated through the house. Something had woken me up, a gut feeling, intuition of some sorts, I just didn't know. But the reason for my insomnia became clear when the first scream was heard, that's why I couldn't sleep. I was worried about my youngest brother.

Immediately I threw away the blanket I was covered in, stumbling towards the door and into the hallway. Another scream was heard, followed by Raph's door opening as well. But I didn't pay attention to the latter, only sprinting past my immediate younger brother and into Mikey's room.

Mikey was tangled up in his blankets, twisting and turning, attempting to tear through the fabric in his struggles. Sweat leaked down Mikey's face in big waves and it was all too evident what was happening, a nightmare.

"Mikey!" I scream, rushing over to my youngest brother and shaking his form. The latter cries out again in fear, trying to twist himself away from the touch and whimpering. "Otouto!" I stress, shaking Mikey again. In a panicked daze, Mikey's bright blue eyes flutter open, locking onto mine.

"L-Leo?" He stutters, struggling to sit up a bit, and I immediately put a hand on his back.

"I'm here buddy" I speak softly, reaching for Mikey's hand. "I got this" I say softly, turning around to look at the rest of my family standing there. Dad seemed to be the most reluctant one to leave, staring at us for a few moments before eventually nodding and leaving the room.

I turn back to the shaking figure of my little brother.

"You okay?" I whisper, reaching for the water bottle that was standing next to his bed and giving it to him. Shakily he accepts it, taking a hesitant sip before giving it to me again. "Place for one more on the bed?" I ask softly and he nods, not looking at me but instead looking at the wall in front of him.

I take up the invitation, carefully crawling in the bed and slipping under the covers. Not entirely unexpected, but still surprising, he leans against me. I immediately wrap an arm around him, bringing him closer.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I whisper and he tenses slightly.

"You remember Eisley?" He whispers and I frown, looking down at him. His face was badly lit, but I could still see his expression because of the moon making itself known through the window. I nod painfully.

"I remember" How could I forgot? How could I forget Mikey talking about Eisley being killed?

"Well the parents.. they got another Maddy after Eish" I nod again, my heart beating painfully. I knew there had to be others afterwards, I knew he had known 3 others. "Irina was my second Maddy, but it was the first time I was the oldest" He spoke softly, casting his head down.

I don't say anything at first, running my fingers lightly across his hand, being careful for his splinted fingers. He looks at me with curious eyes, bruises still showing but so much less than when we just rescued him.

"What was your dream about?" I ask softly, and he sighs, turning his head away from me.

"Her death" He mutters, and I can feel him closing off again, shutting me out. So instead of asking about the dream again, I tried to divert the attention.

"What was she like?" I ask, and Mikey snorts almost instantly.

"Stubborn like Raph" He says, and I almost smile. "I-... I haven't dreamt much about her, I didn't know her that long. I could never get close to her like Emi, she was a bit like Eish. But I think being back.. seeing Raph.. it made me realise how much I compared them back then"

"What did she do?"

Again, Mikey snorts. "She denied everything, refused to believe anything or accept anything. No matter how badly I tried to tell her, how badly I tried to warn her, she kept going head to head with the man especially"

"But she must've been just as scared as you, you know Raph gets scared as well" I whisper and Mikey nods absently. "And she sure appreciated your care" I add but Mikey looks at me with a questionable look.

"Well not exactly at first"

August 12th, 2010. 12:56

"I know Emi, I know" I whisper, stroking her head lightly, ignoring the heat that radiated from her face. She closes her eyes for a moment, leaning into the touch even more until weak coughs wracked through her system. "Just rest okay? You will feel better after sleeping" I continue, bringing the blanket a bit closer to her.

She nods tiredly, closing her eyes but her hand never leaving mine. I sigh, not protesting against the intrusion. If Emi would feel safe holding my hand, I would be the last one to pull it away. Much like me, Em got sick from the stress. It had only been 4 days after Eisley's death, but it hit her just as hard as it hit me.

At first she had just been quiet because she had been scared, for good and obvious reasons, but she slowly started to lack energy to do anything. That's when I realised she was developing a fever.

I wasn't really tired, exhausted mentally, sure, but not tired. So I didn't bother closing my eyes as well, just keeping Emi close to my side as she tried to sleep. I sigh, leaning my head against the closet behind me and feeling tears prick in my eyes.

I blink a couple of times, carefully leaning forwards when the noise of the door opening entered my ears.

"Let me go!" Someone cried out, muffled by the sound of the door between us and the hallway. Something collided with the fence, before it too opened. Another girl, it was another girl, another Maddy. I carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake Emi in the process.

The door opened, and a girl was thrown into the room, falling onto her knees.

"NO!" She cried out, turning around and rushing at the door, but she was too late. The door slammed shut before her nose and was locked. "Let me out!" She screamed, banging on the door.

"Hey" I try, but she doesn't seem to hear me. "HEY!" I scream again, figuring it didn't matter how loud I was since she was already making too much noise. My shout caught her attention though, and she whipped around with frightened yet furious eyes. Her red hair fell across her face wildly, a result of the struggle probably.

"Who are you?" She asks, a low, threatening undertone in her voice.

"Mikey" I answer softly, slightly taken aback by her tone. "What's your name?"

"Why should I tell you?" She asks with a sneer, and I stumble back slightly.

"..Because.. because we need to know each other's names..?" I stutter, frowning slightly.

She stares at me, still slightly glaring. Her eyes slowly travel to Em, and I unconsciously shuffle in front of her, to shield her.

"How do I know you're not one of them?" She asks, eyes narrowing as she sees my movement. I was taken aback again, never even considering this option in the first place. One of them? How could she.. How would that even work? Why would I, as allies of those parents, be here?

Locked up underground with no way out?

"I'm not one of them, we're against our will just like you are" She doesn't respond though, slowly getting up.

"How do I know you're not lying to me?" She ask and I have to restrain myself from pinching my nose in frustration.

"Because why would I be here otherwise?" I look down at myself, my pale complexion staring right back at me. "Do I look healthy to you? Does it look like I've been out of his place in the past months?" My voice rose slightly, and her eyes travel to my form. If it wasn't for the sweater, you would surely see my ribs poking out.

We got food, sure, but nothing like snacks or anything. It was mostly healthy, and the required daily intake. No unnecessary fats. They weren't starving us.. and to be honest the food was something we couldn't complain about. But the lack of sun, that was taking a toll on my body.

Or the lack of hunger, that contributed too.

We got the necessary vitamins to survive from them, but it just wasn't the same to stay healthy.

"Where are we?" The girl instead asks, deciding not to continue with our previous conversation. I sigh, shrugging slightly.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I was too distressed to notice how much time had passed before the van stopped" I answer, sitting down on the bed again next to Emi. She still watches me warily but eventually nods.

"Irina" She says suddenly and I frown, looking up. "That's my name" She continues and I nod slightly, looking back at Emi, who was looking at me with curious and slightly scared eyes.

"This is Emelia" I tell her, leaning out of the way so Irina could see her. She frowned however.

"What is wrong with her?" She asks but I smile gently.

"Just a fever, she'll be alright" I think, I hope.

"What happened to her?" She asks softly, and I sigh pitifully, flashes of blood going through my mind. Puking in the toilet, not sleeping for the night while desperately trying to keep a brave face to soothe Emi. I was the big brother for once, I was supposed to look after her and not show her I was afraid.

Or traumatised.

"It's just a fever, nothing special" I try to assure Irina and she seems to be satisfied with the answer.

September 27th, 2010. 18:59

"Fuck off" Irina hisses, slapping away the hand of the woman, who in turn frowns.

"Maddy?" She asks, genuine surprise in her voice.

"I'M NOT MADDY!" Irina screams right back at her, and I put a hand on her arm, pulling her back harshly.

"Don't" I hiss in Irina's ear but she just glares at me, before directing it towards the woman's direction. Mrs Lewis flinches at the glare, slowly standing up.

"I don't know what I did to deserve such anger from you, but until you can explain yourself there will be no dessert for you, young lady"

"Fine by me" Irina hisses, glaring the entire time the woman left the room. I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"You just had to?" I mumble, louder than I anticipated. Irina whirls around, a furious look on her face, and now directed at me.

"They belong in an institution" She shoots back, and I roll my eyes. As if I didn't know. "And like hell I am going to pretend I'm their daughter"

"Even if it means surviving?" I counter, but Irina just scoffs, sitting down on what used to be my bed. Ever since Irina had come here, she had slept in my bed, and I had taken the bed near Em's bed, so she would feel safer.

"They're not my parents" She scoffs, and I frown, but I decide not to comment on her behaviour. I sit down on the bed as well, leaning against the wall with my back and looking at Em. In the past months she, we, had been stuck here she had learned quickly enough to ignore our shouting, our arguing.

It happened too often really, but just because Irina was stubborn as Raph sometimes. Or rather, most of the time. I admired how brave she was, how she dared to stand up to them. But at the same time, she was pissing them off, and making them angry. Which would only diminish her chance of survival.

To be fair, I was surprised she even made it this far. But one thing was certain.

She was going to get herself killed.

April 5th, 2011. 08:33

To be fair, I had to give them credit for sticking up with Irina so long. Even after she cursed at them, fought them with all she had, they still kept up the pretending.

"You are not Maddy" Her face was stoic, no emotions to be seen anywhere, and a gun pointed at Irina's head.

My breath hitched, too far from Emi to pull her closer, to protect her without moving or drawing attention to myself. But Irina was done, just done. She was too stubborn to obey, too stubborn to just give up. But too broken to care.

She shot forwards with surprising speed, charging at the woman and grabbing the barrel of the gun. Before she could react, Irina wrapped her hand into her wrist, lodging the gun from the woman's grip. She whirled the woman around, an arm around her neck and the barrel pressed against her temple.

The woman's breath didn't even hitch.

"MISTER LEWIS!" Irina screamed, looking at me and gesturing to the door. I immediately hurried to the door, opening it and allowing Irina to push the woman into the hallway. "Get up" Irina hisses, pushing her towards the stairs and forcing her to walk upstairs.

"Em" I stress, and she runs towards me, holding onto my waist. I grab her hand instead, dragging her up the stairs. We were going to get out.

"Rosaline?" The man called out, confused, until he saw us four standing there. I look around frantically, it was still an isolated part of the house, but we were finally out of the basement. The man immediately pulled a gun, and Irina moved the woman in front of herself.

"Let us go" She hisses, pressing the gun against the woman's, Rosaline's, temple even harder. An indifferent look spread across the man's face before he slowly, as if his wife's life wasn't threatened at all, moved the gun towards me.

"Go on" The man urged, taking off the safety of his own gun, I shove Em behind me, stiffening at the clicking sound. "Shoot"

"Let us go, or I swear I will shoot her" Irina cursed, but the man shrugged. Do it. I found myself urging. Do it, shoot her. But I knew that Irina wouldn't be fast enough to shoot the woman and the man. Not before he shot me when Irina would move. But it didn't matter, Irina would shoot the man.

And Em and Irina would both be free.

Do it.

And Irina didn't care about us. She would choose her own life over ours any day. But I was okay with that, getting Em out alive was more important than my own life and safety.

But Irina never shot… she growled low in her throat, lingering her gun for a few more seconds before lifting the gun. No. She pushed the woman, glaring at the man while she was at it.

"Don't shoot them" Irina demanded, but the man shrugs.

"Fine" He said, before aiming the gun at her head.

BANG.


	8. Chapter 8

May 28th, 2014. 02:47

"Don't shoot them" Irina demanded, but the man shrugs.

"Fine" He said, before aiming the gun at her head.

BANG.

"After he shot Irina, they installed the other gate" Mikey says, sighing before sitting straight up. I frown, sitting up straight as well.

"So you wouldn't get out again?" I ask, but I kinda knew the answer already.

Mikey scoffs, turning his face to look at me. "At least until a few weeks ago" He tells me, and I wince slightly. I know Mikey had it much harder, but it was still hard to hear him talk about, to see the effects it had on my little brother.

"What happened after.. the man shot Irina?" I ask softly, not wanting to upset Mikey. I slowly reach out, putting a hand on his back. He seems startled, whirling his head around but stops when his eyes lock with mine. There wasn't really much light in the room, only the lamp on my bedstand.

Yet, there was enough light for me to see his expression, the terrified expression that slowly turned to understanding.

"They took Em back to the common room… " He frowns slightly, leaning into me. "They took me to the hallway and…" He stops himself, but he didn't continue. His muscles were tense, and I carefully rub his arm to comfort him. He didn't need to continue really, didn't need to elaborate on what has happened.

It was too painfully clear.

"He beat you up" I conclude, and he nods against my side. His movements were sluggish, tired. "Do you want to go back to sleep?" He nods again, and I smile slightly, carefully leaning him back down on the bed. I reach over, turning off the light in the room and lying down as well.

Mikey shuffles closer to me, and I allow him, accepting the gesture. Because it had been so long since I had him near me.

4 years.

"I'm so sorry little bro" I mutter, burying my face in his hair. Mikey doesn't respond, but his even breathing against my chest gave away that he was already fast asleep right now.

April 7th, 2011. 15:33

I hiss sharply as Em puts the washing cloth on my forehead, quickly putting my own hand on top of it. She looks guilty, but doesn't show it, or say anything.

"I'm alright Em, don't worry about me" I try to assure her, but of course she wouldn't buy it. Not while I was covered in bruises, cuts and a wound that just keep reopening. Of course, she wouldn't believe me. I smile gently, lowering the washing cloth, brushing her aside gently and standing up.

My arm immediately goes around my stomach, groaning in pain.

"You shouldn't be walking Mikey" Em whispers, and I turn around, watching her. She was still sitting on her bed, watching me with slightly terrified eyes. The shock of seeing me like this again had settled in, but she was still afraid of me. Or rather, she was afraid for me.

I was forced to stay in the room for 2 days, without any food and only 1 bottle of water. But I didn't care for the excruciating pain I still felt when I woke up, the gaping hole in my chest because Irina was dead, or that the parents had won and beat the crap out of me because somehow they blamed Peter.

No, the worst part was the fact that Emi had been all alone those 2 days.

"I'm fine Emi, nothing's broken" I tell her gently, rubbing my ribs carefully and reaching for a water bottle. I quickly took a sip, not even bothered by the lukewarm water I was met with, barely even remembering the feeling of cold, icy water. There was no fridge here, nothing to cool it with.

I frown, turning around as another noise from upstairs was heard, the sound of the basement door being opened. I place the water bottle on the table, slowly walking back to Em's bed.

"What's going on?" Em asks, terrified all of a sudden. For good reason too.

"I don't know" I answer honestly, sitting down next to her on the bed. She puts a hand on my chest in an attempt to wrap them around me without hurting me. I squirm slightly, feeling a hinge of pain at the physical contact. I put a hand on her back, glaring at the door as the noise continued to come closer.

The sound of the two gates opening, one closing, and before I knew it, the door to the common room opening. The man, carrying a terrified girl with him. My eyes widen, following his movements, as the man placed her down on the bed.

"No, no please" The girl cried, voice thick and laced with tears. But the door shut before she could reach it.

"Hey" I call out, putting my own hand on Em's hand, the one that was resting on my bruised chest before carefully removing it. The girl whirls around, eyes widening slightly.

"Oh God" She breathes out, panic spreading across her face and she stumbles back slightly. "What is going on?" She whispers, staring at Em before looking at me again, before going back and forth a couple of times.

"Calm down" I urge, glancing at Em before standing up carefully.

"Mikey" Em whimpers, but I don't pay attention to it. My focus was on the girl that was now staring at me with terrified eyes. But the terror wasn't necessarily pointed at me, but rather, at the situation.

"What is happening?" She insists, watching me warily. I carefully walked over to her, pushing down my own pain.

"You were taken by a man, so were we" I try to explain, because even after explaining it twice right now, and after having been explained to once didn't help one bit. How could I possibly explain to this girl that her life was possibly over? That we were never gonna get out probably.

"Why?" She asks, glancing at me.

"Why don't we sit down first?" I asks softly, and the girl nods warily. I gesture to the bed, walking back to Emelia. She looks at me with a concerned face, and I was sure the girl was glancing at the bruises on my face as well. I sit down on the bed again, allowing Em to move to the wall.

The other girl sits down on the end of the bed, sitting cross-legged and looking at us. "Explain" She demands almost, and I really couldn't blame her.

"A bit over a year ago I was taken from the park as well, brought here. Em came a few weeks later" I start explaining, allowing Em to crawl up against me again. "The parents who took you, us, lost their own children years ago. One son, and 2 daughters" The girl frowns slightly, glancing at the both of us.

Surely she was putting 2 and 2 together. But she didn't say anything.

"They are replacing their children with us"

"They're pretending we're their children?" She asks, and I wish I could've said no, would have denied the ridiculous claim, but no. I nod numbly.

"The children were called Peter, Maddy and Jessy. They think Emelia is Jessy, and they think I'm Peter"

"And I'm Maddy?" She asks, and I nod painfully. She seemed to be more open-minded than Irina for sure, more open to what was going on. And more observant to the situation.

"I know this is overwhelming" I whisper, looking down at Em for a second.

"What is your name?" Em asks softly, and the girl looks at her with a slight smile.

"My name is Camille, you're Emelia right?" She responds, the smile staying on her face. I glance at Em, who also had a smile on her face. "Mikey?" She asks, turning to me. I nod in conformation.

"My full name is Michelangelo, but you can call me Mikey" I tell her.

April 7th, 2011. 20:01

"Spill" Camille says as I walk out the room. I glance down at her, Camille was sitting against the wall, knees drawn to her chest.

"Spill what?" I frown, but I carefully sit down next to her. A hiss escapes my mouth as my injuries are jostled.

"That, your bruises" She explains, and I look away from her, looking down at the ground. Now I understood why she went outside when I put Emi to bed, she didn't want to talk about my injuries with her there, for which I was grateful. I didn't want to traumatise Em further, she was too young.

Camille on the other hand, she was, ironically enough, as old as Maddy would've been all those years ago, 11 years old.

"It happened a few days ago" I whisper, putting my arms on my knees and staring ahead of me. "You're not the first Maddy to come here, and Em is not the first Jessy."

"There were others?" She asks, and I nod painfully. "They died didn't they?" She continues, and again, I nod painfully.

"When I came here, Eisley and Jane were here. Jane was injured, and she passed away after a few days. Emi replaced her so to speak" I explain, leaving out the part of me being ill as well. "We can't know how long has passed really, but like half a year ago, the man killed Eisley"

I felt myself spilling everything all of a sudden, but I realised that I needed this. I couldn't talk to Em for sure, and I was never comfortable around Eisley and Irina, not like I already felt around Camille. She reminded me of Leo in some way, smart, observant but also considerate.

"Irina replaced her, but she was really rebellious. The woman got fed up with her and tried to kill her, but Irina defended herself and got hold of a gun. But the man had one as well, and Irina was forced to put the weapon down or he'd shoot me or Em"

I shudder slightly, not wanting to relive that story really, it was still too fresh on my mind. Camille stayed silent, for which I was grateful.

"Instead, the man shot her and took me and Em down here. But because Peter was always getting into trouble, the parents always blamed him.." I stop myself, taking a deep breath. "The man beat me, and locked me up in one of those two rooms for two days" I end, closing my eyes and leaning back against the wall.

"I'm so sorry" Camille whispers, looking at me with worried eyes. I smile gently.

"I'm sorry too, for all of us" I retort, and Camille nods. "None of us belong here, but I'm afraid none of us will get out again." I glance back at the door, sighing.

"What are you going to do when you get out?" Camille asks, and I look back at her again.

"Go home to my bros, to my dad, and I'm gonna take Emi with me"

Camille frowns. "Why?"

I shrug slightly, relaxing against the wall again. "Emi told me her parents never really paid attention to her, and I kinda deducted it already. She was like constantly asking for attention. I'm not letting her go back there"

"That's.. so sweet" Camille comments, nudging me with a smile before sighing. "Mom and dad promised to take me and my two younger siblings on a trip through Asia when I graduated, maybe we'll go earlier when I get out" She speculates, and I nod, looking down at the floor, not having the guts to tell her there was a possibility that would never happen.

And for some reason the comment made me even more homesick.

I missed Japan, despite only being there for the holidays. But still, one half of our family lived there, and it had always been a safe haven for us. Japan was half of who I was, who my brothers were. Camille mentioning it, only further reminded me of what I was missing. It's silent for a moment, nobody saying anything.

"Just do me a favour okay? Please don't act out against them, I don't think I can handle another rebellious Maddy"

Camille chuckles dryly, shaking her head. "Don't worry about that, I guess" She mutters. "It's still so unreal, I just feel like crying"

"That's okay, we only have each other in this situation, no need to hide something" I tell her gently, nudging her slightly. She looks at me, laughing and crying at the same time. I smile slightly, lifting my arm as an invitation. She looks at me for a moment before accepting the hug, leaning into my side.

I whimper slightly as Camille presses against my sore ribs, but I push it back, only focused on wrapping her in a hug. Camille buries her face, and before I knew it the laughter died down and she was full on sobbing.

May 30th, 2014. 18:45

"I was thinking..-" Mikey starts softly, picking at his food without a real appetite. He looks up at us. "I wanted to do a reunion, a meeting or something" He continues, and I frown.

"What do you mean? What kind of meeting?" I ask, glancing around the table. My two older brothers seemed as confused as I was, and even dad seemed confused. Mikey looks at me with conflicting eyes.

"A meeting with the parents of all the victims, to help them but also me"

"How would it help you?" I ask, and I truly hope he didn't take it the wrong way. I was genuinely curious how meeting those parents would help him, instead of just reopening old wounds. Leo and Raph seemed just as sceptical as I was of the plan. Dad was more or less indifferent it seemed.

"I keep thinking about it at night, they now know what happened to their kids, Eisley, Irina, Camille… Emi-" He swallows painfully, putting his fork down. "But they don't know what they were thinking, how they died other than what the autopsy showed" If they even managed to after so many years.

"And ya want to tell 'em?" Raph asks, and Mikey nods at that.

"I want to answer their questions, tell them what happened so they can give it a place"

"But what about you?" Leo asks, and Mikey shrugs.

"I'll be okay Leo, but I can't just stand here and not tell them"

"Are you certain you are feeling up to meeting their parents?" Dad asks, and Mikey nods.

"I want to do this dad, please?" He insists. I can see the conflict in dad's eyes, choosing between Mikey's happiness or his mental health possibly. There was no way to know how Mikey would react to meeting those parents, to talk about all the girls he had cared fort without a way out.

He hadn't talked much to us as well, we only knew of the first 5 girls, Jane, Emelia, Eisley, Irina and Camille, he hadn't opened up about the rest yet. He had revealed more to his therapist, but she wasn't allowed to share anything with us unless a life was threatened. So if Mikey was going to harm someone, himself or was going to be harmed or something like that.

But she did reveal to us that she knew more than we did, that was all she could give up.

"If you are certain, I will arrange it" Dad concludes, and a small smile appears on Mikey's face. "The police will have the family's contacts, I will ask them to arrange a place and date, but I want you to promise me you will be honest with me"

"When I get overwhelmed I will tell" Mikey promises. "And I do actually want you to come, all of you"

"We will be there little bro" Leo smiled, and Mikey smiled right back.

"Thanks guys"

July 4th, 2012. 21:30

"Happy 4th of July guys" I grin, handing out two plates. For once, the parents had given us desserts, even if it was just a simple cake.

"You too" Camille grins, happily accepting the cake and taking a bite immediately. I slap her forearm and she grins even more, taking another bite.

"Oh I see" I snort, giving the second piece to Emi, who seemed just as happy as Cam was. I sat down on the bed as well, holding the last piece of cake and taking a bit as well. We all glanced upwards as more fireworks was heard. Third 4th of July for me since I got here, two and a half years.

We didn't really talk while we ate, but that wasn't unusual for us. There was only so much for us to talk about after all. After knowing each other for one and a half years, and knowing Em for 2 years already, we knew each other through and through. We knew everything about each other, and didn't even need words to communicate.

And we were comfortable being silent around each other.

"Should we put another strike on the wall?" Cam suddenly asks, and I glance at the wall where the strikes were. 3 strikes for New Years Eve, and still 2 for the 4th of July. July 4th, 2012 right now, that's all we knew right now. In between those two days, we had no idea what time it was.

"Go ahead" I say, gesturing to the wall. Cam complies, sliding off the bed and walking over to the wall. 11 when she came here, and now already 13 years old. Just one year younger than I was. I sigh, wrapping my arms around myself at the thought. 2 and a half years, that's how long I had already been here.

2 and a half years and still counting, and for some twisted reason, that also counted for Camille and Emi.

I couldn't lose any of them.

October 3rd, 2012. 14:26

It was quiet in the room, all of us just doing our own thing. Em was sitting on the table, drawing something I wasn't allowed to see, neither was Camille. I smile slightly at the thought, Emi had definitely developed a sort of rebellious attitude over the past few months.

It wasn't anything near Irina's level, or Raph's level. It wasn't like she refusing to cooperate with the parents, or that she was acting out against us. But still, she was getting older, she was 10 already after all, and she was getting more of an attitude. And refusing us insight of her drawings was one thing.

We could see the end product mostly though.

Camille was sitting on her bed, the bed with the names on the wall, reading one of the history book the parents provided us with. I was also sitting on the floor, leaning against Cam's bed with my back. It was quiet, a moment of peace.

Of course that didn't last long.

I look up suddenly as the familiar noise of the basement door opening resonated through the room. I glance at Emi, and back at Camille before focusing on the door again. Without taking my eyes off the door, I put the book on the ground, not even caring about losing the page right now.

I wince slightly as the door opened, revealing the man. His eyes roamed to me, before to Camille. He, however, froze when his eyes landed on Em.

"Who the hell are you?" He asks, and I freeze completely, slowly trying to get up. I understood that tone. Em's eyes go towards me, an expression of fear. 'Play along' I mouth, and she turns her expression back to the man.

"Dad?" She asks softly, but her tone was shaky.

"You are not my daughter" He speaks, looking at us with real confusion. "What have you done with Jessy?" He continues, taking a step towards her. I stand up immediately at that but I was too far away to do something.

"No it's me, Jessy" Emi tries, desperation clear in her voice.

"You're too old to be my daughter" He states, and I could feel terror spread through my body. She was, she was way too old, and I knew that. Jessy was supposed to be 8, Emi was 10 right now, which was a big difference when you were young.

Then, the man shot forwards, reaching for Em and pulling her towards her.

"NO!" I cry, darting forwards but stopping immediately when the man put her hand up.

"Stay back Peter, I swear to God!" He screams.

"Mikey!" Emi whimpers, tears in her eyes.

"Dad let her go, please! That's Jessy, I swear!" I cry, beg. "Don't cry Jessy, it's going to be alright" But was it?

"This is not my daughter" The man whispers, wrapping an arm around Emi's neck.

"NO!" I scream again, taking a step forwards. "Emi I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I love you so much okay, we all do"

Emi was crying now, tense in the man's grip. But a small smile spread across her face. "I love you too Mikey, Cam, you're awesome older siblings. I love you"

A single tear rolled down my cheek. "I love you too Emi"

And then he broke her neck.


	9. Chapter 9

October 4th, 2012. 02:16

Nobody in the room said anything, both too numb to even do something. Camille was continuously glancing at Mikey, tears streaking down her face. Mikey was sitting in the corner, under the sink. Tears were also streaming down his face, and his eyes seemed dead, staring ahead without any emotion.

He was disconnected from the world, not moving at all.

Yet, his reaction was justified. Emi was the first girl he bonded with, he had lived with Emi for over 2 years, Mikey saw Emi as his little sister, protected and loved her for so long. They bonded unlike he had bonded with anyone else. Mikey basically raised Em, as she was still so young.

He shaped the way she thought, shaped the way she acted. And now she was gone, forever.

October 4th, 2012. 08:43

Slowly, Camille blinked sluggishly, feeling heavy in her limbs. Like her veins were filled with lead. Camille swallowed thickly, wiping away the lingering tears that weren't actually there, as they had already been wiped away by the blanket. She blinks again, carefully getting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

The room was still lit, as nobody bothered to turn off the lights.

"Mikey?" Cam whispers, eyes focusing on the figure that was still sitting under the sink. Mikey, however, doesn't respond at all, eyes still staring off in front of him. Bags were already lingering under his eyes, he seemed dead tired. "Mikey?" Still, he doesn't respond, doesn't move or takes his eyes off .. whatever in front of him.

Camille slowly gets out of bed, movements stiff and uncomfortable almost. She slowly makes his way over to Mikey, sitting down next to him.

"Mikey please say something" Cam whispers, leaning towards the older boy.

The teen stays silent, not even acknowledging Camille's presence.

"Big bro… you gotto say something"

"Like what?" Mikey whispers back, but not turning his gaze away.

"Anything, I don't like the silence" Mikey stiffens next to Cam, suddenly whirling around and glaring right at her.

"You don't like silence?!" Mikey cries out, before suddenly reeling back in shock. "Cam I… I-I I'm so sorry. I-I.. I just.." He stops, looking at Cam with a guilty look.

"No.. I-I get it" Camille stutters, looking at Mikey. "I know she meant a lot to you, more than I could ever imagine"

"She was my little sister" Mikey whispers. "They… they killed her" Slowly tears build up in Mikey's eyes. Camille takes a shuddering breath, reaching out. Mikey sniffles, leaning into Cam's side. The latter wraps her arms around him, bringing him closer.

Then finally, Mikey allows himself to break down.

TMNT

June 6th, 2014. 13:02

"Are you okay?" Leo whispers softly, sitting down next to our little brother.

"Will I ever be?" Mikey whispers back, looking at his oldest brother.

"Just remember, if it's overwhelming just alert any of us" Leo continues and Mikey nods numbly. "The parents know not to crowd you, but they'll be asking questions" Mikey nods again, rubbing his hands together in a nervous habit, taking a shuddering breath before standing up.

"I'm ready"

I smile encouragingly, following Don to the door, knowing that Leo and Mikey were closely behind us. I carefully opened the door, walking through it. The room was packed with parents, or teenagers, and yet, not at all. The room was intentionally big, and not fully squired either so the entire room wasn't visible.

We knew at least 6 families, ranging from either a single mom, or a full-fledged family. There were more families of course, before Mikey got in, but only a limited amount. Mikey had told us, after knowing the people who were coming, that 3 of the 4 families were parents of people who knew Jane and Eisley.

So while Mikey hadn't known the girls, he had heard about them.

I could quickly feel Mikey creep up to me, and I wrap my arm around him, giving him a comfortable squeeze.

"Mikey?" A female voice cuts through the talking, and both me and Mikey turn around. In front of us was a mother, a man and other woman next to her. "I'm Camille's mother, this is my husband Tom and my oldest daughter Olivia"

I could feel Mikey stiffen slightly next to me. "Hi, uhm.. nice to finally meet you" Mikey stammers, extending his hand and shaking the mother's. The latter nods, also shaken.

"I.. I don't want to overwhelm you, so please stop me if it gets too much" She says, and Mikey nods next to me. "How was she?"

Mikey doesn't start talking however, turning to me. I frown, grabbing his shoulders and looking at him.

"It doesn't feel right.. "

"If ya don't want to talk about it.." I offer, but Mikey shakes his head, looking at the family.

"I want to tell, just not here.. I .. I need some silence"

I nod immediately, looking at the family as well. "There are some private rooms in the back, we can talk there?" Mikey nods numbly, and so does the woman. Both seem to be shaken up, just as the two other family members, but they followed us nonetheless to another room that was connected to this one.

I sat down next to Mikey, waiting for him to start talking.

"She was really kind" Mikey starts softly, rubbing his arms. "She was caring for us, but she had her own opinion still" The mother laughs shakily.

"That sounds like Camille" She says. "Who was she with?"

"Camille came when Emelia was with me" Mikey swallows thickly, and I know it's because Emi was the most dear to him. "We were together for well over a year, she adored Emi. She was like a big sister to her"

"She was?" Olivia, Cam's older sister, shakily whispers. Mikey nods, looking at her.

"She was, Emi was still young, Cam helped out a lot, taught her things and raised her basically" Mikey says, zoning out slightly. "She always used to sing this lullaby to calm Em down when she was upset, or scared." At this, Olivia lets out a shaky laugh, tears streaming down her face.

"Olivia .. used to sing a lullaby to Cam when she was younger" The father explains, also in tears. There was a short silence, before the mother of Camille shuffled a bit forwards, hands together in a nervous habit.

"What happened to her.. on her last day?"

"She was too much like Maddy" Mikey painfully told them. They already knew who Maddy was, why their daughter was taken, so Mikey didn't need to explain. "The woman came to us, and got freaked out… killed her" Mikey continues, still reluctant.

"Do you know when?"

Slowly, Mikey looks up at the mother. "Not exactly, it was a few days before Rachel got taken." He looks at me for a second. "24th of June right?" He asks, and I nod, before Mikey turns back to the family again, who also nod.

"Did.. did she suffer?" The man asks softly, and Mikey takes a shuddering breath.

"I don't think she felt the pain, she was mostly in shock" Mikey explains. "If she did… it didn't last long" I close my eyes at this. I knew of Camille's death, he told us 2 days ago, but it was still painful to hear how a young girl, who Mikey was close with, got stabbed to death, and died in Mikey's arms.

"Who was the other girl who was with her?" Olivia asks softly, hesitantly.

"Robyn" Mikey told them. "Camille and I cared for her, she just turned 7." I stare at my youngest brother, curious as well. He hadn't told us this yet, hasn't come this far. We knew of Camille, but Robyn was the only one he hadn't talked about yet, apart from Allison and Rachel that is, but they both made it out alive.

"She was bilingual y'know.. half Japanese like we are" Mikey says, more directed at me than at Camille's family before she turned to them. "She moved to America 5 months ago, and her English wasn't the best yet. I taught Robyn English, and Camille tried Japanese"

"Our little girl could speak Japanese?" The mom whispers, and Mikey nods shakily.

"She told me about your plans to visit Asia when she graduated" He whispers, shuddering slightly at the memory. But so far, he was holding up pretty well. "Her Japanese was really good.. an American accent.. but we both understood her"

He turns to me, taking another shuddering breath and I reach out for his hand, squeezing it softly. "I got used to talking Japanese for a while, the parents couldn't understand it and it made Camille and Robyn think of home. Rachel obviously couldn't, so we had to switch back to English"

"That must've been so hard" Olivia voices, but Mikey just shrugs.

"Being bilingual already is, you always forget words in both languages, but when you speak one language for a while, you forget more and more from the other. I forgot a lot of English words, so did Robyn" He stiffens after the sentence, leaning against me.

I frown slightly at the movement. His muscles were tense, and tears started to stream down his face.

"You okay?" I whisper softly in Japanese, but he shakes his head.

"Please ask them to leave" He responds, and I sigh, looking up at the family, but they seemed to understand what was going on.

"He needs some time" I try to explain but the mother shakes her head.

"I get that honey, just know that we appreciate you doing this, and appreciate you looking out for Camille, you did everything you could." The mother speaks up, taking a shuddering breath and linking her hand together with her husband's hand.

"She trusted you, and the girl. That lullaby was a song I wrote, she always said it was just for the two of us, not even mom or dad were allowed to know it." Olivia said, glancing at her parents, who were urging her to leave the room. "Just.. thank you, for taking care of my baby sister. And I'm sorry" She said.

"She loved you Liv, she never forgot you, or your parents" Mikey whispers, and Olivia nods, before walking out of the room as well. Mikey whimpers as the door closes, curling into my side and hiding his face from the world.

"You did great baby bro, I couldn't be more proud" I whisper, wrapping my arms fully around him.

TMNT

June 6th, 2014. 14:13

"No it's fine, I want to see them" Mikey urges, hands still tightly wrapped around the mug, enjoying the warmth.

"Are you sure?" Leo asks softly but Mikey nods.

"I'm sure" He states, glancing at the door. Leo nods at Don, who almost reluctantly opened the door, stepping outside. There was a short conversation, inaudible from the inside of the room, before a few figures stepped into the room. The woman's eyes immediately landed on Mikey, eyes softening.

I knew why, she knew Mikey was trapped for years, she knew that he saw the girls dying, and she saw the mental toll the last conversation had taken on him. He seemed tired, eyes red from crying, and still underweight, but that didn't stop Mikey from being as stubborn as I could be sometimes.

A woman, a man, and two kids, girl and boy, sat down in front of us, looking just as lost as Mikey, but not as broken.

"Abi, Jake?" Mikey hesitantly called out, surprising the siblings. "Irina talked about you, about all of you" Mikey chuckled dryly. A short silence fell over the room before Leo cleared his throat softly.

"How about we start with names?" Leo cut in with a soft tone and Mikey looks up before nodding.

"My name is Daniel, this is my wife Zoey, and my kids Abigail and Jacob"

"Twins" Mikey mutters next to me, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself. "Irina talked about you a lot, told me you were a handful" Both Abigail and Jacob smile at that, chuckling. They were less devastated, which would make sense considering they knew the longest that Irina had died.

Out of all the girls, she was the only body to be found days after she died.

"That sounds like her" Jake chuckles. "We were a handful" Abigail carefully reaches out, comforting her twin brother by taking his hand.

"How was she?" Zoey, the mother, asks.

"Stubborn.. for the most part" Mikey whispers, taking a short pause after the first word. It was evident that he was exhausted, emotionally for the most part. But the last month had also taken a toll on his sleeping pattern, not to mention the last 4 years without a natural clock because of the lack of night and day.

"She rebelled against them, refused to play along" He continues, taking a deep breath.

"Irina had a rebellious tendency" Abi said numbly. "She would influence us when we were younger, mom wasn't happy"

The mom snorts lightly, shaking her head. "You were little demons" She laughs shakily.

"How old were you?" Leo asks softly.

The mom wraps an arm around Abigail, rubbing her arm in comfort. "We were 11, Irina was 12" I could see Leo nod, considering when Irina was taken, Mikey had to be almost 13. Which made sense, since he had told us Irina was the first Maddy that was younger than him, the first time he was the oldest.

Which meant that the twins were 15 right now.

"Did she… interact with you?" Jake asks, almost hesitant. I smile slightly, knowing what Jake was hinting at. From what I've heard from Irina, she was stubborn, preferred to be alone at times, so her not interacting with Mikey wasn't a stretch really.

"She did" Mikey confirmed with a nod. "Not as much, she sat alone a lot but she talked to us, shared things about home. She loved you"

"How did she die?" The father was the one who broke the most important question, and Mikey looks up, haunted and red eyes looking at the father of the girl that was killed in front of him.

"She got a hold of a gun, gave the man an option, letting his wife die, or let us go" Mikey explains in a soft voice. "The man pulled his own gun at me, Irina couldn't shoot the woman and the man before the man shot me. But Irina and Emi would be free.. I was okay with that"

Nobody said anything, understanding the little pause Mikey took, needing the time to collect himself.

"Getting Emi out was more important than my life.. but Irina cared about us, couldn't do it. And the moment she lowered her gun.." He stops again, but made no move to continue. His breathing seemed to increase slightly.

"They shot her" The father finishes, nodding painfully. "She didn't suffer" He states, wrapping his arms around Jacob. Mikey nods numbly, but that was all he could confirm, she didn't suffer when she died. But she had suffered during her captivity.

"I-I…" Mikey stammers, shakily standing up. I was immediately up as well, looking at him with a concerned look. "I need some air" He continues, darting to the door before I could stop him. That wasn't the way to air, that was back into the room with every parent.

"Otouto matte!" Leo cried out, rushing after Mikey. But Mikey didn't wait for Leo to catch up, stumbling out of the room. I sprinted after him, into the room with all the parents. But Mikey also ran, he ran… straight into another father. Mikey stumbles, the man catching him quickly.

"Son are you okay?" He asks, a concerned look on his face. Leo and I both stop, a small distance between us. Mikey's eyes go wide, recognition washing over his face that made one thing clear, he knew whose father this was.

"You're not supposed to be here" Mikey mutters, and much to our surprise, a glare appears on his face. "How dare you?!" He cries out, straightening up.

"What do you mean?" He asks, thoroughly confused.

"NO!" Mikey screams, causing everyone in the room to look at him. "NO, you don't get to walk in here, acting like you cared about her. Because you DIDN'T!" Mikey continues, pushing the man away.

"Robert?" A woman hurriedly comes to the father's side, looking at Mikey with wide eyes. "What is going on here, are you okay?" She asks, a concerned tone in her voice. Mikey's breathing picked up.

"I'm not!" He screams. "I was locked up for so long, but you know what?" Mikey laughs bitterly, tears appearing in his eyes.

"It was okay cause I knew my father was home, my brothers.. it was okay because I had to look after all the girls" He continues, and I had no idea where he was going with this. "But Emi didn't!" He hisses, pushing the man again. "Emi had no loving parents to come back to! You didn't love her! You abandoned her!" With every sentence, Mikey pushed the man further back.

He didn't fight back, letting Mikey push him around. And he seemed to be as shocked as the woman, and us.

"Mikey" Leo whispers, wrapping an arm around Mikey's chest and pulling him back gently.

"NO!" Mikey screams, twisting himself free. "He doesn't deserve to be here! You don't deserve to know what happened to Emi! She was my little sister, and she cried because you didn't love her! They got her because you left her alone in the park! YOU DIDN'T CARE!"

Slowly, Leo wrapped his arms around Mikey again. My little brother cried in anger.

"YOU DIDN'T CARE ABOUT HER LIKE I DID" Mikey raged, screaming as Leo dragged him backwards towards me.

"Otouto" I whisper, taking Mikey over from Leo.

"NO! Let me go" He cries, hitting me with his fists. I grunt slightly, but the blows were nothing compared to Leo's, or Don's. "They have to go.. they hurt… Emi.." His breathing increased again, and I press him against me, wrapping my arms tightly around him. He screams against my chest, noises muffled by the cloth.

Before his screams turned to cries, wails.

"I think that's enough" I state, looking at Leo.

"Let's go outside" He orders, watching as Don slowly approached us as well, looking at Mikey with worried eyes. I could feel Mikey's breathing speed up, until he was gasping for air. I turn him around slightly, until his shoulder was pressed against my chest, I wrap one arm around his form, starting to walk.

"They hurt Emi" Mikey whispers, gasping after the sentence. I shake my head, but continue to push Mikey out the door. He gasps, sucking in the fresh air. I drag him over to the grass, sitting down and allowing him to sag against me.

"I know they did little bro, but ya said enough" I whisper, rubbing his arm gently. He nods, laying his head on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough"

"You were strong enough for me little brother, we're proud of you" I deny his claims, placing a kiss on his forehead.

Mikey nods shakily, rubbing away his tears and glancing at Leo and Don for a moment. "I think I wanna go home" He whispers, and Leo nods with a slight smile.

"Then we're going home"


	10. Chapter 10

25th June, 2013. 16:59

The girl looks up to me with wide, terrified eyes, not moving. I smile gently, crouching down.

"O namae wa nan desu ka?" I ask her, but she frowns at the question, only shaking a bit more.

"Makoto?" Robyn calls out softly, and I whirl around, looking at her in anticipation. She doesn't continue however, looking at me with wide eyes as well.

"Who are you?" The unknown girl whispers, and it was only then that I realise what was happening. Makoto… Robyn called me Makoto.. My Japanese name.

"I'm sorry" I spoke softly, shifting so I was sitting on the ground. "It's been long since I spoke English, I .. I didn't realise" I apologise, but the girl still seemed wary.

"Namae wa?" Robyn asks, and I frown, again looking back.

"Asuka, eigo de hanashite kudasai" I tell her, turning back to the girl. "She asked your name, her English is not very good" I explain to the girl, taking a deep breath myself. The whole situation only made it more evident that we lost Camille, that we couldn't speak in our language anymore. From now on we had to start English again.

I frown slightly. Robyn.. Asuka.. wouldn't be happy about that.

"Rachel.. my name's Rachel" She tells me, watched me as if she still didn't trust. Which, I guess, was fair since we hadn't given her a good reason to trust her yet, not to mention us speaking a totally different language.

"My name's Mikey, or Makoto in Japanese. That's Robyn, or Asuka" I spoke, and Robyn nodded, slowly getting off the bed and walking towards me. I immediately curl an arm around her as she sits down, allowing her to lean against me.

"How old… are you?" Robyn spoke, her accent too noticeable after not speaking English for so long. But Rachel understood nevertheless.

"11" She spoke, eyes darting around, as if the panic was just now coming back. "Where are we?" She asks, and I'm surprised she hadn't completely freaked out yet. All things considered, she was pretty calm.

This thing however, never got easy. "Rachel… you were taken by two people, a couple."

"But why?" She interrupts, and I look at her with a sad look.

"The couple.. lost their own kids, now 6 years ago or something." I continue, rubbing my eyes slightly. 6 years, when I first arrived here it had been 3.. 2006.. or 2007. I had been here 3 and a half years. It hadn't been the fourth of July yet, so …

Robyn squirms against my side, burying her face against it. I smile gently, nuzzling her. I knew what she was doing, she was trying to cheer me up. And it worked for some reason.

"They were traumatised by the ordeal, and started taking children to replace theirs." Rachel just looks at me, and Robyn. "They had 3 children, Peter, that's me. Maddy, that's you, and Jessy, that's Robyn"

"But I'm not Maddy?" Rachel questions softly, squinting her eyes slightly. I sigh, nodding.

"I know, but trust me, it's better if you play along with their game" I tell her, wincing at the memories of previous girls who didn't. "You're Maddy, the middle child, 12 years old. I'm your older brother Peter, I'm 14" Even if I was already 15.

"I'm Jessy, but I'm 9" Robyn adds, and I smile down at her, slightly conflicted. But that pretty much sums up the last 3 and a half years. It was always conflicted. We were still locked up, we were still scared out of our minds.. but we tried to have fun, tried to enjoy ourselves, tried to make the best of the situation.

And one day.. one day we would find a way out.

TMNT

June 7th, 2014. 08:29

"Morning" I mutter, glancing at Leo before taking another bite of my cereal again, glancing back at the screen in front of me.

"Hey little bro, how are you feeling?" He asks me cautiously, sitting down next to me. I shrug, not looking at him, but instead focusing on the screen in front of me. "Please talk to me"

"About how I ran away scared last night?" I mutter, angrily munching on my cereal, which in itself would've made me laugh any other day… or rather, 4 years ago.

"You didn't … you shouldn't feel embarrassed or ashamed about that" Leo says. "So many parents were confused when dad called them, many asked if it was really okay when they arrived, you know why?"

I glance at him, shaking my head slightly. Leo sighs, extending his arms and pausing the movie I was watching, before looking at me again.

"They were surprised you arranged this so soon after it happened. They were scared for you because they thought it was too soon. But they were also admiring you for doing this so soon afterwards. You weren't a coward by running away, you were brave for holding out so long, for putting yourself behind others"

"Well after 4 years I kinda got used to it" I mutter, and I could see Leo wince. And for some reason, I couldn't find the energy to apologise. But this was the first time I really lashed out, brought up the consequences of my captivity. Most of the time I would try to forget what happened, try to move on with my life.

"I'm sorry" I continue, turning away, but I could see Leo shaking his head.

"No need for that little bro, say what you want, it helps" I cock an eyebrow at that, a smile tugging on my lips. "If it serves a purpose" He glares, but couldn't contain his own smile from appearing on his face.

"And here I thought I could finally critique you without consequences" I snicker, and Leo laughs, shaking his head again.

"You can't little bro" He snickers, looking up as Raph walked down the stairs as well. "I didn't hear you last night by the way" He adds softly, and I look up with a frown, glancing at Raph for only a second.

"I kinda didn't fall asleep in my old bed" I say with a soft tone, and Leo glances back at Raph, before a knowing smile appears on his face. "No nightmares" I add, before Leo can comment.

"Don't feel embarrassed by that little bro" I chuckle slightly, shaking my head. "And especially if it helps keep the nightmares away" Leo continues. I nod slightly, looking down and heart beating slightly faster.

Because that was exactly what Rachel had told Robyn the day she died.

Just 3 months ago.

TMNT

26th February, 2014. 22:56

"It's getting worse" Rachel whispers, showing the inside of her hand. I swallow thickly, looking at the ball of hair that was sitting in Rachel's hand. I carefully take it from her, and Rachel brushes Robyn's hair to the side, revealing another bald spot on her head. "What do you think it is?" She continues.

Robyn was leaning against Rachel, sound asleep, finally.

I sigh, sitting down on the bed as well, reaching out for Robyn. "I have no idea" I whisper softly, looking at her. Robyn had bags under her eyes. Nightmares kept waking her up the last few months, and she seemed twitchy, nervous, anxious. And to make things worse, she was losing hair.

The bald spots too frequent to not notice right now.

"You think it's stress?" Rachel suggest and I frown slightly.

"Could be.. she seems more.. agitated lately" I whisper softly, nodding painfully.

"The woman won't like her hair, you know Jessy's hair was her specialty" Again, I nod, running my hands over my face with a frustrated sigh.

"Will she be mad?" Robyn whispers softly, and I whirl my head around, looking at the eyes that were just barely open and looking at me. I chuckle despite the situation.

"Hey there Asuka, I thought you were sleeping" I say, nudging her gently. Robyn shakes her head, leaning against Rachel even more. The latter smiled, wrapping her arm tighter around Robyn in turn.

"Don't wanna sleep" Robyn whispers, and I frown slightly.

"Why don't you want to sleep Asuka?" I ask her gently, and Robyn.. Asuka, looks at me with fearful eyes.

"Nightmares" She whispers. Rachel's expression falls, and she shifts slightly so she could look Robyn straight in the eyes.

"And if I stay with you?" Rachel asks gently, but Robyn is far from convinced.

"I'm scared they will come back" She whispers, but Rachel smiled gently. She glances at me for a quick second, giving me a slow nod.

"But they won't come back when I'm here, not when Mikey is here to protect you" It was faulty reasoning, we both knew that, but maybe Robyn wouldn't. She was still young after all. And there was a good chance it would work. It wasn't a secret that being close to people you trusted kept nightmares away.

It helped me numerous times when I was younger, dad would take me into his bed, or one of the guys would come to my room, or I'd come to theirs.

Robyn nods sleepily against Rachel. The latter shifts slightly, getting more comfortable herself. I helped get the blanket over the both of them, locking eyes with Rachel. She nods, silently telling me it's okay. Still, I didn't move from my spot. I stayed where I was until I was sure Robyn was fast asleep.

"Get some sleep yourself" I whisper silently, standing up and crawling into Rachel's bed instead.

"You too" She chuckles, closing her eyes as well.

27th February, 2014. 14:02

"I saw this lovely hairstyle on the internet, I just need to try it" The woman announces her presence. Immediately, I stiffen, glancing at Robyn. I could see Rachel look at her as well. And for a second our eyes lock, blue eyes meeting the green eyes ones of Rachel. And we both feared the same.

Robyn's life.

Robyn herself didn't seem to understand the situation like we did, but she was still scared out of her mind. Which was the only reason, the only cause of her hair falling out, stress, fear. Both contributed by the couple that took us. I take a deep breath, slowly walking over to Robyn and sitting down next to her.

"It will be okay, everything's gonna be okay" I whisper in her ear, kissing her head quickly and wrapping my arms around her protectively. But I knew that wouldn't stop the door from opening. I take a shuddering, locking eyes with the woman the moment she walked through the door.

"Jessy" She smiled, but I don't move, and neither does Robyn. I glance at Rachel, who was glaring at the back of the woman's head, slowly reaching a book.. a weapon. I shake my head, and she locks eyes with me. Don't do it. I mouth. I couldn't let her be killed. I couldn't lose her.

I promised to get her out of her, get her back to her adopted family, allow her to see her grandma again, her last living relative. She had lost so much already, her parents and sister in a car crash now 7 years ago. Her grandma unable to care for her so she was put up for adoption.

I promised I'd get her back.

"Jessy?" The woman frowns. "Jessy come on" She urges, walking over to us, but I push Robyn behind me. She couldn't see her, couldn't see her hair.

"Peter what is up with you lately?" The woman frowns. "Let Jessy go"

I shake my head. "She's not feeling well mom" I wince slightly, she wasn't my mom, I just had to play along.

"Nonsense, she was fine this morning" You haven't checked in days. Then her gaze suddenly turned angry. "Now let me see my daughter Peter" She warned. I shake my head again, she would turn around soon, she always did. But the only thing that came was the hand for my cheek.

I gasp, head shooting to the sight. Immediately my eyes go wide, and I turn to the woman. She didn't even look sorry, in my moment of confusion, she reached for Robyn, dragging her with.

"Mikey!" Robyn cried out, and I dart forwards, grabbing her hand.

"Asuka It's going to be alright, everything will be okay" I urge, before Robyn was ripped from my grasp.

"Your father will deal with you later Peter" The woman snorts, dragging Robyn further.

"I love you Asuka" I whisper, before the door was closed.

TMNT

"I didn't know at the time, but Robyn didn't come back that day." I glance to the side, consciously not talking about the fact that the man did come downstairs. The pain I felt… "She didn't come back that day, not the following day, or the day after"

Leo, Don and Raph listened silently, Leo holding my hand tightly, but I didn't pay attention to it.

"I knew.. I knew when they brought Allison down" They had killed Robyn.

"The morgue examined her body, they said they broke her neck" Don whispers, and I nod numbly.

"I'm glad" I whisper, glancing at him. "That means she didn't suffer" I take a shuddering breath, standing up suddenly and walking over to the window.

"I just.. the knife was in her pocket, if I hadn't urged Rachel to stay put that day.. we could've gotten the knife" I sigh, looking down. "I know it's unlikely, the woman wouldn't have realised, and taken the knife back… or let us kill her.. but I still feel guilty. I was supposed to protect Robyn"

I turn around, looking at my three older brothers. They were looking back at me with a look of understanding, of course they would. They all knew what it was like to look after a younger sibling, and they all knew the guilt of failing that younger sibling. Me getting captured, Robyn.. Emi.. and all the others dying.

"You couldn't have stopped that" Leo whispers, shaking his head and standing up. "Just like we couldn't have stopped you from being taken" He continues, putting his hands on my shoulders. I look up hesitantly.

"Do you blame us for not seeing it? Not paying attention to you?" He asks softly, and although it was a rhetorical question almost, I could see he still blamed himself for not paying attention. I shake my head softly.

"I thought about that day a lot, wondered how different things would be if I hadn't walked off to the bathroom alone.. if either of you had to go as well.. but I never blamed you for not coming with, or dad" I spoke slowly.

"And I'm sure that's how the girls felt as well. They knew you cared for them, they knew you tried everything to protect them. They knew you loved him, and they knew you couldn't have done anything" Leo urges, and I could see Raph and Don nodding.

"Does the guilt ever go away?" I whisper, feeling tears jump into my eyes. And I knew what Leo was going to respond, didn't make it any easier when he shook his head.

"It doesn't, but knowing you made it out alive helps."

"But the girls didn't" I retort slightly, and Leo shakes his head.

"Not all of them, but you got Rachel and Allison out, from what you've told me, you got the knife, you made the plan, and you protected Rachel by taking that beating" Leo whispers softly. "You gave Emelia a loving brother, when all she knew was neglectful parents. You cared for all those girls, made them laugh, made them feel safe in an impossible scenario"

Leo takes a short breath, looking straight at me.

"I know you feel guilty, and we do too, but try to focus on the good you've brought those girls. The closure you gave those parents. Without you.. that wouldn't have happened. Without you, Rachel and Allison would still be locked up, and the parents would've never known how their children died."

I nod again, staring right back at Leo. "I know you're right Leo" I start hesitantly. "And I know what you said is true.. but I can't help but feeling guilty.. it gets better every day though.. but I still feel it"

"That shows you're healing little brother, and that's not a bad thing, nor the fact that you still feel guilty. I guess we all do now.."

I chuckle softly, looking at both Raph and Don. "Thank you guys.. for everything.. and listening to me." I draw out, and Raph chuckles.

"Just keep talking bonehead, well help ya get back on yer feet" He rumbles, and I smile.

"I know.. I feel so much better after telling you" I whisper, but then shaking my head. "But that was everything.. after Robyn they got Allison, and I already told you what happened in the beginning"

"That may be true, but there's still so much. And I'm not saying you should tell everything.. I'm just saying there's a lot more to tell, so if you want to tell, or if you're feeling bad.. come to us, to dad.."

"I will big bro" I whisper softly, nodding shakily. He smiled, wrapping his arms around me and bringing me closer. I let him, burying my face in the embrace before looking over his shoulder. Don and Raph were both smirking, Don in the embrace of Raph, and looking at me with satisfied eyes.

I smile at them, before burying my face fully in Leo's chest, allowing tears to fall freely.

Thank you. I could feel Leo wrap his arms tighter around me, kissing my forehead. Thank you for saving me.

And for the first time since 4 and a half years I could truly feel the responsibility seeping away from me. I had told all their stories, Jane, Eisley, Irina, Emi, Camille, Robyn. They knew everything, and the parents would know how their girls died.. other parents would have closure.

And Rachel and Allison were safe.

I let Leo carry me back to the couch, suddenly too exhausted to do anything else anymore. Because I didn't have to do it anymore… I was safe.. I didn't have to watch my back, and the back of two other girls, to keep them safe. It was okay to relax, to take a step back from everything.

"I'm so glad you came back to us otouto" Leo whispers in my arm, kissing my forehead. I smile, snuggling closer to him, and wrapping the blanket closer around myself.

Me too. But I couldn't muster up the energy to say it.

I felt safe.

I am safe


	11. Chapter 11

May 9th, 2014. 18:03

"I'm just done Rachel, I don't know how long I can keep doing this" I whisper, closing my eyes and leaning my forearms on my knees.

I could feel Rachel looking at me with guilty eyes, even if I didn't see her. "You gotta hang on Mikey, they'll make a mistake eventually" Rachel tries to encourage me, reaching out carefully until her hand rested on my shoulder. I look up, tears streaming down my face but looking at her.

"I've been telling myself that for 4 and a half years Rachel… it's been over 7 years since they started.. I know I should but it's just hard" I mumble and Rachel nods numbly. She glances back at the door for a second, and I was glad she had closed it. Allison didn't need to hear my doubts, she was too young.

I had to be strong for her.

"I get that Mikey, but you can't give up." She tells me, and I nod, wiping away my tears.

"I don't even know if my family still remembers me.. I know it's a silly thing to say.. but what if they moved on? What if they.. aren't looking anymore?" I mumble, taking a shuddering breath. How would they even look like right now? Would they still recognise me after all these years?

I glance down at myself. There were a couple of bruises that were still healing, already healed gashes and cuts, some healed, some still healing. I was thin, unhealthy. My hair had grown out slightly without the ability to go to a barber, but the woman sometimes made an effort to cut it.

I had changed, I was different.

"I'm sure they do" Rachel argues, her voice firm. But I sure as hell wasn't as sure as she was. "And I'm pretty sure they know something was up with your abduction"

I whirl around at that sentence, frowning. "What do you mean?" I ask, and this time it's Rachel who sighs.

"It was on the news before I got taken as well, several kidnappings in New York over the past years, and the police was pretty sure they were all connected.

"Why?" I find myself asking, what did my kidnapping have in common with the other girls? Or where they even referring to Em.. to Camille and so on? Maybe there was somebody else out there kidnapping children as well.

"Kidnapped in broad daylight, on busy festivals or parks. No body found after all these years"

"But we're all different ages" I frown but Rachel shakes her head slightly.

"You said you were 12 when you were taken, and Jessy was supposed to be 8. That's an age range that's very plausible"

"I suppose" I mutter, looking up. "Did they mention my name?" I ask, not really knowing it I wanted that question to be answered to be honest.

"I don't remember honestly, sorry. But I know they're looking into the kidnappings." She tells me with a guilty tone in her voice, but I shake my head slightly.

"No need to feel guilty" I say, rubbing my hands together. Rachel smiled sadly, squeezing my shoulder gently. I sigh again, wrapping my arm around her form and bringing her closer. She doesn't say anything, but leans into my embrace without any complaints.

"I will get you out Rachel, I promise" I whisper, burying my face in the embrace as well. Rachel hums slightly but doesn't respond.

TMNT

May 9th, 2014. 18:52

Somehow I knew I had to go back into the room, and not just linger here in the hallway. I had to get back to Allison and Rachel, but I couldn't muster up the energy to move anymore. I don't even know why it hit me so hard today, but I was just done, I felt myself giving up after so many years.

Seeing so many girls come and go.

I didn't want to give up. I had promised Eisley I would find a way out, I promised myself that i wouldn't give up, and that I would get them out as well. I had promised my family that I would never leave them, and I didn't plan on letting that promise be broken without trying to mend it first.

Which meant one thing, getting out of here and not giving up before I did so.

I flinch slightly as the door to the basement opens, and I turn my head to the direction, seeing the woman descend down the stairs. Her eyes immediately lock with mine before she opens the first gate, using only one hand. In the other one she was holding a big pan, clutched to her chest.

"Peter, go inside, it's time for dinner" She told me, her voice sharp but not unwelcoming. I nod, eyeing her warily before standing up. She stopped before the last of the two gates, watching as I walked to the door. Only when I opened the door, did she open the gate. I walked inside, glancing at Allison and Rachel.

They both seemed to understand what was happening, probably had heard the conversation as they both stood up, walking to the table.

"I have something special for you" The woman smiled, putting the pan on the table and taking off the lid. Immediately the smell of meat entered my nostrils, a delicious smell. But I could only focus on the knife sticking out of the piece of meat, surrounded by rice, sauce and vegetables.

The woman grabbed the knife, slicing the meat and urging for a plate, which Rachel immediately gave. It was one of the few things they allowed down in the room with us. My stomach churned at the sight of the food, it had been so long since we had such an elaborate meal.

It was mostly just a simple meal, and the woman would sometimes even forget to feed us.

The woman divided the food on the plates, handing one to Allison with a smile. I glance at the knife again, looking up when I saw Rachel staring at it as well. There was an unspoken conversation between us. Do it, do it. She nods to the knife, as if she was telling me the same thing.

Grab the knife.

But we both knew that it wouldn't matter if we threatened the woman, the man wouldn't open the door. I had told her the story of Irina, how the man didn't care that she had a gun pointed at the woman's head. Rachel nods towards me, and I frown slightly as Rachel walks towards Allison instead.

Then suddenly, she starts to cough loudly. Immediately the woman snaps her head towards Rachel, turning her back towards the knife. Without thinking, I shot forwards, grabbing the knife and putting it in my clothes.

"Dear, are you alright?" Woman whispers, and Rachel nods shakily.

"I'm fine, just a cough" She rasps, and I snicker almost. She was convincing for sure. But there was just one problem, the woman would notice without a doubt that the knife was gone. Unless.. unless she was in a hurry or angry.

"You poor thing, are you getting sick?" The woman continues, reaching out.

"Don't touch her!" I cry out, darting forwards until I was standing next to Rachel, and pulling her behind me. I glance at the woman in front of me, feeling a slight fear creep up to me.

"PETER" The woman screeches, looking at me with disbelief. "What is wrong with you lately, you've been acting weird?" She says.

I just glare and the woman's expression turns to shock, before an angry expression glosses over her face. So easy to manipulate, so easy to anger.

"You better apologise right this instant, young man" She frowns, but I glare right back at her.

"No"

The hand hit my cheek faster than I could comprehend, and I felt myself stumbling backwards at the force, planting my hand on my cheek with wide eyes.

"No desserts for any of you" The woman spat out, fuming almost. As if we'd ever get desserts. I thought grimly, glancing at the woman as she hastily, and angrily, grabbed the pan. She lingered for a second, and for a second I was afraid she would notice, but she shook her head before turning to the door.

We all stayed silent, watching the woman shut the door, hearing two gates open and close, before the last door closes.

"What were you thinking?" Rachel hisses, but I don't listen, taking my hand off my cheek and showing her the knife. "Yes you had that before you acted like an idiot" She continues, and I shake my head, walking towards the bed.

"She would've noticed if I hadn't made her angry, did you notice her lingering for a few seconds? She noticed.. I think.. "

"But because she was so angry.. she didn't?" Rachel concludes, but I shrug.

"To be honest, I don't know for certain, but it worked" I mutter, rubbing my cheek slightly. Allison had sat down next to me, watching the knife as well.

"So what do we do with it?" Rachel questions, still standing in front of me. I frown slightly.

"We can't just attack one of them, that will get us nowhere" I say, and Rachel frowns.

"Maybe pick the lock?" Rachel suggests, and I glance at the door.

"The locks are too small for the knife" I stop myself, frowning. "Unless…-" I stop again, reeling back slightly.

"Unless what?" Rachel pushes, and I glance back and forth between Rachel and Allison before sighing.

"The first two weeks I was locked up.. I got like really sick. The parents took me upstairs to take care of me… and they left me alone for awhile" Rachel's breath hitches as understanding dawned down on her. While Allison still seemed confused about the whole situation.

"I will do it" Rachel immediately says, and I frown, shaking my head.

"No way Rachel, I won't let you go up there, I will go" I say, but Rachel shakes her head stubbornly.

"I can do this Mikey, and she already thinks I'm ill. Besides, I can pick locks."

"I can pick locks as well" I frown, but Rachel didn't back down.

"Mikey let me do it" I frown slightly. What would even happen to Allison and Rachel if I escaped? I wince, feeling my body turn cold. They would punish them, they would blame them for my disappearance. I couldn't let that happen, I couldn't let Rachel take such a punishment.

It should be me.

"Okay" I whisper, sighing. "Okay you can do it" I didn't tell her why, because I knew, I knew she would object otherwise. She needed to be 100 percent focused on the task, no distractions, and not worrying about us.

"So what's the plan?" Rachel asks, a slight sense of victory on her face.

"We wait till tomorrow, when the woman comes down in the morning. The man will be off to work, and once the woman leaves the house, you escape" I explain. We all knew the man still had a job, leaving 5 days a week, and the woman would get groceries, and do whatever she did when she went out of the house.

That was our opportunity.

"But Rachel's not sick" Allison whispers, and I nudge her gently. I sigh, not sure if i should suggest this in front of her.

"I'll stick my finger in my throat" Rachel explains bluntly, and I sigh, bringing Allison a bit closer to me.

"Will that hurt?" Allison whispers, but I don't think she fully understood what Rachel had just implied. Rachel smiled gently, crouching down and tipping Allison's chin up.

"It won't hurt Alli, I promise, I'll be fine" She tells her, and I smile slightly as well. Rachel might be hard on the outside, a tough girl, but she was also caring and soft. "I will go away for awhile, but I'll come back with police, and we'll get you back to your mom and dad"

I didn't dare defy her at this moment, didn't dare to voice my concerns about our plan possibly not working. I just had to hope, and suffer with my doubts alone.

"You should eat, and go to sleep early. You need all the strength you can get for tomorrow" I whisper, and Rachel and Allison nod. I place the knife carefully on the bed, hidden under the blanket and walking to the table.

Tomorrow… tomorrow Rachel would get out.

May 10th, 2014. 8:36

Despite my orders, neither of us had slept very well, or very long. But I stayed up for most of the night, watching over both Rachel and Allison to make sure we weren't too late, that we weren't asleep when the woman came downstairs. And make sure they were still safe when I could still watch over them.

"It'll be alright Rachel, you'll do fine" I whisper, handing her the knife and allowing her to grab it. Two extra socks were wrapped around the blade of the knife to avoid her cutting herself. She carefully put it in her sock, putting the fabric up as much as she could. Just to be safe, we tied string around it before allowing the pants to fall.

"Just make sure you take your socks off last. The woman first took my clothes, but would allow me to dress myself. So she won't see the knife if you're smart" I tell her, and Rachel nods.

"I will get out, I promise" She whispers, turning to Allison. "Be brave for me okay? And watch over Mikey" She continues. Allison nods shakily, and Rachel wraps her arms around her tightly. After a few moments she let go, wrapping her arms around me as well.

"Get to someone as fast as possible, but make sure you're far enough" I whisper in her ear. "I don't know where we are, but we're probably somewhere abandoned, be prepared to walk a long way" I tell her and she nods against me. I smile, pulling out of the hug and giving her an encouraging nod.

Almost if planned, the sound of the door opening echoed through the halls. A jolt of fear runs through me and I glance at Rachel. But she was already up, rushing to the sink and taking a deep breath. I cringe, watching her put her finger into her throat furiously, and I pull Allison towards me to shield her eyes.

Rachel gags furiously, taking out her finger. But nothing happened. The first gate opened, and Rachel put her finger in again. She presses against the back of her throat, gagging once, and another one before she takes her hand out again. Vomit spewed from her mouth, covering the sink and her hand as well.

Then the door opens. The woman's eyes widen in fear as she sees Rachel retching a couple of times, but the vomit had already covered the sink.

"Maddy!" The woman cried out, rushing over to Rachel. I wince, refraining myself from interfering as the woman wrapped her arms around Rachel's figure.

"'don't feel so good" Rachel mumbles, wiping her mouth. But I knew it was all fake, all acting. The woman looks concerned, genuinely concerned as she turns Rachel around.

"I know honey, but we'll make you better." The woman says, wrapping an arm around Rachel. She glances back at me for a second before they walk ahead to the door. "I trust you will be fine by yourself, I have to take care of you sister" She continues, and I nod.

"We can handle ourselves" I croak, watching as the woman disappeared with Rachel through the door.

TMNT

May 10th, 2014. 15:06

Seeing Rachel put a finger in her mouth hadn't been pleasant, comforting Allison as she cried hadn't been nice. And all those years locked up had been agonising. But nothing, maybe only the death of those girls, was worse than having to wait right now. Not knowing whether Rachel got out, whether she was alright.

Or if she would come back to us with help.

If we… if I could get Allison out of here like I promised.

I glance up from the spot I was sitting on, noise filled the space above me, and immediately a smile crept up my lips. Frantic voices, calling out for their daughter, calling for Madilyn, Maddy. And it was that moment that I knew it had worked, Rachel got out, she was free. And I knew they were going to blame Peter.

It was a part of the plan I hadn't told Rachel, because she would've never agreed to it if she knew. And that's why I never told her.

It was also the reason I had agreed to her getting 'sick'. Not because she could pick locks with just a knife, because I could do so to, but because I knew what they were going to do once they noticed one of their children were gone.

I turn to Allison, who had also heard the screaming, and was looking at me with terrified eyes.

"Hey, I want you to sit on the bed, and cover your ears for now okay? Don't look until I tell you to" I say, putting Allison down. She nodded in confusion, not knowing why I was asking her to do such a thing but she wouldn't question me, ever. With stiff muscles I walked over to the middle of the room, giving one assuring nod to Allison before turning to the door.

My little sister was huddled in the corner, folding the blanket around her. Her hands were on top of her ears but as soon as I had turned towards her, she had closed her eyes. Through the door I could see the fence, and the door leading to the staircase, but most importantly Mr. Lewis coming right through the door, and unlocking the fence.

"Where is she?! What did you say to your sister?!" Mr. Lewis bellowed, unlocking the last door. A strong hand reached for my collar, pulling me closer.

"I haven't told her anything, dad" I told him calmly, the last word mockingly. Mr. Lewis narrowed his eyes, and so did I.

"TELL ME THE TRUTH PETER! WHERE IS YOUR SISTER?!" He roared, and then the first hit came. His fist harshly hit the left side of my face and my head snapped to the right. Tears of pain jumped in my eyes but I bit them back, looking back.

I was just done, done with pretending, done with playing nice.

"She's not my sister you sicko. She isn't even your daughter. Maddy is dead" I responded, my voice still oddly calm. The second hit followed soon after my comment, and I fell to the ground. I knew it was pointless to fight back, they wouldn't care. The woman wouldn't care, they only cared about their children.

So even if I had her husband at gunpoint, she wouldn't open the fence. Even if I put a bullet through his head, she would never open the fence. She would wait for days, until we were too thirsty, and too hungry to fight back. So I let him, taking the beating as some twisted victory. Because every punch reminded me that Rachel got out.

And they were coming for us.

May 12th, 2014. 10:16

I wasn't even sure who was coming, who was invading the house, but I couldn't get myself to move right now. It could be friends of the parents, here to pick us up. Or the parents had decided to come back for us and not let us die down here, after abandoning us ever since the man beat me senseless.

But I couldn't move, the little bit of hope that this was the police kept me on the bed, a gentle hand on Allison's body. Her chest rose and fell slightly every time she took a breath, eyes closed in a peaceful, but deep sleep. Allison was a deep sleeper, something I had noticed in the past two months.

She wouldn't wake up unless shaken.

"House is secure" A voice suddenly echoed through the basement, and I knew they had opened the door. I could almost feel myself breaking down, that was the police.. it couldn't be someone else. "Heat signature show two bodies down there, both children"

"Wait kid!" Someone suddenly cried, and I stiffen, immediately standing up in panic and darting to the middle of the room. Far enough to be safe from whatever was coming through the door, but far enough for Allison for her to be too near as well. But I wasn't expected for the figure who opened the door.

The door opened with force, colliding with the wall in its haste. But I didn't care, I could only stare at the vibrant green eyes of my older brother. My eyes widened, but I felt numb. Then Leo and Don ran in as well, followed soon by more officers.

There was an awkward and long pause, nobody saying anything. What could I say really? After not seeing them for four years, as they stared at my appearance with horrified eyes.

"Took you long enough dudes, I've been waiting" I joked.

I could hear Raph snorting, immediately pulling me into a crushing hug. I didn't tense up, immediately melting in the embrace. I blinked past the tears that were now threatening to slip past my eyes. Despite my blurred vision I could see paramedics standing in the door opening. I wasn't deadly injured, none us were, so they left us alone for now.

"Let's get out of here bonehead, you reek"

This time I was the one to snort at Raph's comment. The obvious concern and relief was a dead giveaway that he didn't really mean what he just said, but it wouldn't have mattered, I knew my older brother, I knew how much he cared. I reluctantly released him, punching his shoulder lightly and giving him a smile.

Doubt flashed in Raph's eyes, and his green orbs scanned me briefly. I knew what he wanted to know though, how I could still be so calm after everything that had happened. And to be honest, I didn't really know myself, probably the euphoria of having my brothers with me. I didn't feel panic at the moment.

"Don't touch her!" Until now. Until I saw Leo hesitantly reaching for Allison's figure.

My hand was on top of my mouth not even seconds after the sentence left my mouth, even muffling the last letter slightly, but I was too late. Leo's hand immediately froze mid-way, flashing his eyes towards me. My heart was loudly beating in my chest but I pushed past it, and past my older brother.

Uncertain shuffling was behind me, and I knew that Leo was slowly backing away but I ignored it.

"Hey.. wake up" I whispered, shaking Allison's shoulder lightly, the bed she was on creaking slightly at the movement. How she hadn't woken up from all the commotion is a mystery I most likely won't be able to solve. She blinked a couple of times, rubbing her eyes with her tiny hands.

"Mikey?" She questioned and I smile slightly.

"I'm here Alli" I reassure her.

I could feel eyes burn into my bruised back but I ignored them. I gently brushed Allison's fair hair out of her face, placing my hands under her armpits and easily hosting her up. She whimpered, burying her head in my shoulder. Her hair tickled slightly against my shoulder but for now I needed it, I reminded me of the responsibility I had taken upon me.

And that I hadn't failed her.

I turned around, looking into my older brother's eyes while completely ignoring the stares I was getting from Don and Raph, Leo was also looking at me with that look. But unlike Don and Raph, he was trying to cover it up, the keyword being trying. Because I could see right through him. They were all struggling to hold back their tears.

But I had no time for that sort of feelings right now. Making sure they were both okay was more important.

"Did Rachel sent you?" I ask straightforward, walking towards the door, just wanting to get out of this place. Raph, although still confused about what is happening, puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. I smile at him, knowing it's finally over.

"She did, she's outside waiting for you two. She's physically okay though, bruises and some scratches and tired, but she insisted on going with us" That's why I preferred Raph during these times, as much as I appreciated Leo and Don wanting to protect me, I hated when they danced around the subject. Right now I just wanted to know how Rachel was doing, and I was glad Raph was honest with me.

Even if he was clearly in shock of seeing me after 4 and a half years. Should I be concerned I didn't feel the same panic? Because I didn't, I was oddly calm, and honestly, it scared me. And yet… they were calm as well.

It surprised me actually how calm my bros seemed, after all this time. I could see they wanted to cry, I knew they wanted to attack me with hugs, hugs I had missed so much during my 'captivity'. But Rachel had probably told them about everything, and they had most likely seen what they shouldn't do with someone who has been through so much.

"And .. uhm .. you know." I said, feeling panic bubble up inside of me again.

"The police caught them just before the border, don't worry, they won't be able to hurt you anymore" I nodded again, blinking as bright sunlight hit my eyes, sunlight that I hadn't seen for a while. I shook my head slightly, looking down at the 8 years old child in my arms.

I was never afraid they'd hurt me, I was afraid they would hurt her, them.

"Your father and ambulances are waiting outside, we would like to take you two to the hospital to check up on you" One of the paramedics spoke, and I nod numbly. One of them extended his arms, opting to take Allison from me but I shook my head, walking right past him.

I glance down the hallway one last time. I didn't care about what I would leave behind, I didn't bring anything valuable. Only the clothes I wore that day were mine, but I even grew out of those.

With stiff legs I walked up the stairs. "We're getting out Alli, Rachel did it" I whisper in her ear and Allison nods against me. Once we reach the top, I put her down, slightly out of breath from the exercise. I jolt slightly as a gentle hand was placed on my back, and I whirl around, immediately pushing Allison behind me.

"Woah, just me" Raph tries, but I could see that my reaction hurt him. I nod numbly, blindly grasping for Allison's hand, who squeezed my hand.

"I know.. I'm just a little jumpy I guess" I whisper, and Raph nods stiffly, eyeing we warily. I ignore him for now, turning again, and gently pulling Allison along with me. I knew the way to the front door, from the one time I entered, and from the one time they took me upstairs. I take a shuddering breath.

And for the first time in 4 and a half years, bright light fills my vision, bright light coming directly from the sun.

I squint, reeling back in shock. Allison didn't have the same reaction.. but she hadn't been locked up for too long. I take another hesitant step.

"MIKEY! ALLI!" A voice cried out, but I could only stare at the Rachel's figure rapidly approaching. The sun… so bright, and so warm and gentle on my skin. Before I knew it, I sank to the ground, knees colliding with the soft grass on the front porch, and Rachel immediately wraps her arms around us both.

"Oh my God, you're okay, you're okay" Rachel rambles, and I bury my face into the embrace.

"You made it.. you did it" I mutter, and Rachel nods shakily, tears streaming down her face. Then, a look of horror spreads across her face, and for a moment the throbbing pain basically everywhere in my body returns.

"He hurt you" She whispers, bringing a hesitant arm up. I wince, pain jolting through my body like electricity, but I ignore it.

"Don't worry about it Rachel" Her gaze still lingers however, trailing over the injuries I got from the man. She nods shakily, glancing back at the house. I gently reach out, bringing her closer to me. I knew it wasn't fair, but I wouldn't allow her to look back at that house again, we were free.

"Your family" She mutters. "Your family's here… they came… I told you they'd remember"

I nod shakily, bringing her closer, and she presses her face in my chest. Allison was still safely huddled between us. Both girls were sobbing.. but I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't get myself to cry, to move really. I knew my family was right there, I hadn't seen dad yet, but I had seen my brothers.

I knew they were right behind me, I knew the paramedics were watching us, but I couldn't move. The sun was too bright, but I didn't care, didn't care that it seemed to burn down on my skin, that it seemed to burn my eyes. I slowly tilted my head, looking up at the sky, and a smile travelled across my face.

A shaky laugh was all the emotion I could muster at seeing the sky.

A sky I hadn't seen in 4 and a half years. A sky I had dreamt of for so many years, freedom I had yearned for so long.

"Please let me see my son" I heard dad, recognised his voice instantly. I stiffened, and Rachel seemed to notice as well.

"Go to him" She whispers, but I shook my head, looking down at Rachel.

"I promised I wasn't leaving, I'm not leaving you" I whisper, kissing her head.

"I think it's best if you stayed back sir, we know nothing about his mental state. He has essentially been raised by a different father for 4 years. He could have a negative reaction upon seeing you" I wanted to say something… tell the officer that I wouldn't be scared when I'd see dad.

That I had longed to see him for so long these past years. But at the same time… at the same time I couldn't seem to move, couldn't seem to speak up. I stayed there, arms tightly wrapped around Rachel and Allison, even if my injuries were throbbing in pain, screaming at me to relinquish the grip.

I take a shuddering breath, tears slowly starting to stream down my face.

"Are you good to go to the hospital with us?" One officer slowly asks, kneeling down next to us. I look up, nodding shakily. The officer carefully reaches out, but I glare at him, pulling Allison back from his hand.

"I'm staying with them" I glare, and the officer immediately puts his hands up.

"That's perfectly okay Mikey" He says, and I frown slightly. But Rachel had probably told my name before they came here. "There is an ambulance right over there. There will be enough room for the three of you but if you want your family with you, just tell me" He says calmly, pointing at the ambulance.

The car wasn't that far, barely a few meters. I nod, not having the energy, or really the will, to speak up and ask for my family to be there. How should I react to them? I could feel my heart skip a beat. I was afraid to face them, afraid how I should react after so many years. The few sentences I spoke to them…

Inevitable confrontation. But I realised I didn't want to speak with them now.

I carefully stood up, legs starting to scream again, but I ignored it and helped Allison up. She whimpered lightly, pressing herself against my side as we carefully made our way over to the ambulance. I never looked back at the house, and my family who were surely standing behind me.

I would figure that out later, the most important thing was getting my two little sisters safe.

TMNT

May 12th, 2014. 13:06

Allison didn't move when the parents walked into the room, didn't move a muscle. She only crept closer to me, looking up at me. I smile gently at the parents before crouching down, facing Allison. From the corner of my eyes I could see the hurt and confused faces of the parents, but I ignored them.

My only focus was on Allison.

She was staring down at me with tears in her eyes, just as confused as I had seen her 2 months ago. I gently reached out, brushing her tears away and smiling again.

"Don't cry Alli" I whisper, but she just releases more tears. I choke on a sob, laughing and brushing them away as well.

"I'm scared" She whispers, and I nod.

Rachel had said the same thing when she was reunited with her family. Or at least, her adopted family. She had cried against my chest when the authorities had told her her grandma had died while she was gone, her only living blood family that she had. Died, died without knowing Rachel was still alive.

But the hardest blow was to Rachel of course, she couldn't say goodbye to the last family.

Yet, she still had family. Her parents had died when she was very young, 5 years old. But her grandma couldn't support her financially, and agreed to let her get adopted. Both for money reasons, but also to give her a normal life. A life with siblings, loving and young parents. They of course, visited grandma often.

The experience had hardened her for sure, but she was just as much a family of her grandma as she was of her adopted ones.

So she was happy to go home with them again, albeit reluctant to leave me, just as Allison.

"You don't have to be Alli, they're your parents" I whisper, brushing her hair back. She nods shakily.

"I will miss you" She says, and I nod.

"Your parents will have my number, know where I live. If you want me to visit, I will" I tell her gently. Because apparently, in four years so much had changed in the world of technology. When I was her age, I didn't even know what a phone was, but she did, and could even use one.

I glance at the parents, who were still standing there with tears streaming down their faces. They were probably scared Allison didn't remember them anymore, oh how wrong they were.

"I live nearby, I can visit anytime" Well not anytime… but she didn't need to know that. I knew that the moment she got back to her parents, she would mostly forget about me. Or at least, I assumed. I had only been with her for 2 months after all.

"Okay" She rasps, and nods. I smile, standing up and holding out my hand. She accepts it, turning to her parents almost hesitantly. The parents in turn jolt in almost fear, and anticipation. Allison's first steps were hesitant, but the closer she got, the more excited she was, until her hand slipped from mine and she ran straight towards them.

"Oh baby girl" The woman cries, wrapping her arms tightly around her, sinking to the ground. Allison didn't say anything, she just cried. I smiled sadly, and I realised, that that was totally okay. She didn't have to say anything, her parents didn't care that she only cried. They were just so happy to hold their baby girl again.

The woman turned to me with teary eyes. "Thank you for bringing our baby girl back" She whispers, and I nod, wiping away the tears that were lingering in my eyes.

I hesitantly walk around them, out of the room. They didn't care that Allison was only crying in that moment, they didn't care that she didn't know what to say. So without really thinking about it, I turned left. I knew where they were, knew where they were waiting for news about me and my mental state.

They… my family.

I take a deep breath, stopping in front of the door. I could see Leo.. I could see Raph and Don, and dad through the glass. I took another deep breath before carefully reaching for the doorknob. Immediately, all four of them turned towards the entrance, eyes widening as they saw me.

I swallow again, carefully stepping into the room and closing the door.

"Hey" I mumble, glancing at all of them. My brothers had grown so much, changed so much. Raph had dyed his hair red at the top, put more gel in his hair. His arms were huge, ripped with muscles. And generally looking older than I remembered. Leo.. he roughly had the same hairstyle.

It was a bit shorter, more mature. And just like Raph, he had gained a large amount of muscle mass, less than Raph though. He was taller, taller than Raph but shorter than Don. The latter had grown out his hair, pulling it up in a ponytail, not wearing the glasses he wore in .. the house.

Which meant one thing, he got contacts over the past years. But since it was so early, he hadn't had time to put them in yet, until now that is. He wasn't as ripped as Leo and Raph, but still extremely fit. Unlike me…

Dad hadn't changed much, which only made my chest ache even more.

"Michelangelo" My dad whispers, stepping forwards, all so cautious. But it was Leo who walked over to me first. He looked at me, bright sea blue eyes staring into mine. He seemed to wait for a moment, but I just look up to him with teary eyes. There wasn't as much height difference between us I noticed.

We had both grown, but I had always been, and still was, the shortest of my brothers. But I wasn't that much smaller anymore. He carefully reached out, wrapping his arms around me. I instantly melted into his embrace, and I felt my knees buckle. Leo gently lowered me to the ground and my head spins slightly.

He was so careful, so caring. He reminded me of.. me. How I had hugged Rachel and Allison not hours ago. I sat there on the ground, knees touching the ground but just numb to the world around me. I could feel Raph and Don wrap their arms around me as well, dad joining in after a moment of hesitance.

I was numb.

Don was the first one to sob, burying his face in my shoulder. I still didn't move, staring ahead. I blink sluggishly as I felt something wet touch my shoulder, a tear. My throat restricted, and for some reason it just hit me at once.

I was free.

I felt tears roll down my face before I knew what was happening. Leo and Raph both started shaking against me as well, both crying without embarrassment at all, only dad silently cried. I let out a sob, and immediately I felt Leo tighten his hold on me. I lean towards him, for the first time moving my arms.

I tightly grip his shirt, not caring about the fabric and burying my face into his chest before I start sobbing. Tears continuously stream down my face, pouring out everything that had happened in the last 4 and a half years.

Not just missing my family for so many years, not just missing them grow up, be with them, play with them, laugh with them, fight with them like every sibling does.

No.

I cried for everything. Jane dying after Colton's failed attempt. Eisley beaten to death and dying in my arms for not being able to read. Irina, who also failed to escape because she protected me and Em, and got killed for it. Emi… who was killed right in front of my eyes, my little sister.

Camille… Camille who was too good. Camille who acted too much like Maddy. Reminding us, me, that nobody could please the parents in their fucked up fantasy of their children still being alive. Robyn.. Robyn who died so recently. Robyn who didn't make it by two months. What was two months against 7 years?

I sob harder, barely able to take in enough air. I did it Eisley, I looked after them, I got them out like I promised you.

I cried like I had never cried. Never, not even on my first day, not even after Eisley was killed, not after Emi was killed, not after any of the girls was killed. Not after one of the so many beatings the man gave me, not after another night spent locked up in the dark basement with no way out.

I cried the hardest I had every cried. But not just because of the horrors I had faced, horrors I could finally open up about, even if it was only through tears. Horrors I could finally share because I was with people I trusted who were older, who would be able to handle it. No, not just for the horrors.

I cried because I was out, I cried because all those parents finally got closure, because the police had found the bodies of every girl I looked after. But also every girl and boy that came before me. I cried because I fulfilled my promise to Eisley, That I would get myself, and the two other girls out.

I got Rachel back to her family, I got Allison back to her family.

I cried because after 4 and a half years, and after all those years of abuse, I was back with my family.

"I love you guys" I whimper.

I cried tears of joy.


End file.
